"...reality
is usually scoffed at and illusion is usually king...."[1] Dr. Stanley Monteith, Radio Liberty
"What's
needed is ...something analogous to the ancient acropolis, where today's diversity of
national and ethnic customs and religious traditions can be celebrated and upheld for the
enrichment of everybody....The new acropolises will... provide opportunity for sacred
expression needed to bind the people of the planet into a viable, meaningful, and
sustainable solidarity."[2] [Dean James Morton, Cathedral of
St. John the Divine in New York, 1996 UN Conference on Human Settlements]
Few celebrations match the UN vision of a global acropolis better
than the spectacular tribute to unity that opens the Olympic games. Summer and winter --
each two years -- the ceremony changes. But the popular message and the planned illusion
remains the same: we are one world, one spirit, one people.
Year 2002 serves this rising tradition well. In Salt Lake
City, on February 8, a crowd of 52,000 welcomed 2,318 athletes from 77 nations. The
foreign[3] dignitaries included UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, one of many global
managers with a major stake in the universal appeal of the Olympic vision.
Mr. Annan must have enjoyed the young skater seeking "the
fire within." Pursued by a fierce storm of terrifying creatures and monstrous
icicles, the Child of Light looked quite lost until he found that empowering fire
represented by a skater in red who would show him the way.
The subtle message? The human spirit faces adversity, but the
Olympic spirit -- represented by the "fire within" and the Olympic flame -- will
conquer the obstacles and win the day. As the NBC narrator said, "The Olympic spirit
can never be extinguished." It sounds familiar, doesn't it? Some might even equate it
with the Spirit of God, which would fit the UN plan for religious harmony -- a global
blend of diverse religions united under the banner of one universal spirit in all.
The transforming power of such
collective rituals was stressed at the 1996 UN Conference on Human Settlements. Speaking
on the topic of "solidarity,"
Dr. Benjamin Ladner, President of American University, said,
"We must commit ourselves
to the work of imagining our common humanity... and of enacting civic rituals that
resonate with the music of our ancestors."[2]
That music came through five Native American tribes native to
Utah. Wearing their ritual feathers, members of the Ute, Goshute, Shoshone, Paiute and
Navajo nations step-danced onto the stage. Bringing wishes for global peace, they
performed a colorful five-ring drum dance. Like the five "Olympic spirits"
masked as sun gods featured in the 1996 summer games, they fit the vision of spiritual
unity in the midst of cultural diversity. [See "The Olympic Dream: A Renaissance
of Unholy Oneness"]
Mr. Annan may have been less pleased with other parts of the
ceremony. The terrors of September 11 had opened the door to patriotic expressions often
mocked in the past. Let's hope the beautiful rendition of "God Bless America"
and the belated permission to include the tattered American flag -- two Olympic
concessions that set this year apart from other years -- didn't blind eyes to the
seductive spirit behind the Olympics. For this ceremony had little to do with love for God
or nation. It had everything to do with changing the public consciousness and winning
public consent for a global spirituality befitting the new world management system.
Hours before President Bush opened the ceremonies with a
brief welcome, he had spoken at the Olympic Reception. "The Olympics give the world a
chance," he said, "in the midst of a difficult struggle, to celebrate
international peace and cooperation. He continued,
"For centuries, the Olympics have reinforced an important
lesson. ... No matter how wide our political or cultural differences may be,
some things are valued and enjoyed the world over. All people appreciate the
discipline that produces excellence; the courage that overcomes difficult odds; the character
that creates champions."[4]
emphasis added
That's true. The best of life transcends cultural differences, and
we have seen some exceptional examples of courage, kindness and perseverance among the
athletes through the years. Each day of amazing human feats shows the heights of bodily
triumphs. The most heroic models have been paraded before an admiring world again and
again, for they serve an important purpose.
Today's global managers need public heroes who can inspire
collective - even national - pride and social unity while diverting attention from less
popular government projects. Remember, this strategy, with its emphasis on politically
correct character, worked
well for former social engineers such as Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. No doubt, we have
learned a lesson or two from last century's pioneers in international socialism
From a traditional perspective, this public adulation of character
seems a bit out-of-place. In fact, it would be nice to ignore certain facts about the
Olympic culture. While there are many true heroes among the revered athletes, their
"village" is also known for its rampant use of free condoms, its obsession with
the human body, its shameless delight in all kinds of promiscuous sex,[5] and,
especially in former years, its illicit use of drugs and steroids.[6]
Intended or not, President Bush' blend of noble thoughts and
illusions matches that of the IOC [International
Olympic Committee]. Citing its ban on political
expressions, it had, at first, refused to give the American team permission to carry the
tattered WTC flag in the parade. The Wall Street Journal article by Kimberly
Strassel rebuts that pretension:
"The IOC [International
Olympic Committee] has spent a lot of the past two
decades trying to bolster a specific image. Along with the United Nations, it has
increasingly sought to occupy that distant, holier-than-all-you sphere.... The Olympic PR
spin is that the games transcend petty nationalism, greedy athletic ambition and
ungentlemanly conduct....
"The perceived wisdom, after all, is that the Olympics' noble
and peaceful attributes descended directly from the original Greek games....
"The problem, of course, is that the ancient games were
nothing like this. Athletes competed for lavish financial gain. Most of the sports were
brutal; one, pankration -- a cross between kick-boxing and wrestling -- allowed contestant
to kick each other, break each other's fingers.... Politicians gave speeches between
events. Athletes were bribed to swap city allegiances...."[7]
In reality -- as contrasted with illusion -- global politics and
financial gain are at the heart of the games. Why else did the pompous IOC submit to
bribery some years ago?[6] Or why do the Olympic games become a behind-the-scenes gathering
place for busy international leaders? And why did China, with its history of Christian
persecution, win the coveted right to host the summer games in 2008?
The IOC shrewdly selected a diverse team to carry its
revered Olympic flag into the stadium. The flag-bearers included liberal politician and
astronaut John Glenn, former Polish Solidarity Party President Lech Walesa, Hollywood
producer Steven Spielberg, two athletes and South African socialist Archbishop Desmond
Tutu. Apparently, the ban on "politics" only rules out persuasions that clash
with UN ideology - the new norm. [See "Trading U.S. Rights for UN
Rules"]
In contrast, ideas that match the UN are welcome. Ponder these
slogans. The NBC narrator called the first two "self-evident truths." Are
they true, false, a seductive blend that distorts the truth...? How would you classify
them? What might people perceive if they don't take time to evaluate the message?
"What unites us can be far greater than what divides us...."
"We are beaten only when we stop believing in what we wish we can be."
"The flame that is lit tonight... is not the fire of destruction but a light
in the darkness."
Genuine unity comes through Christ, our
Lord, not the human imagination. Only He can complete in us what we hope to be. Jesus
said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but
have the light of life."
All the lofty Olympic promises that
exclude our God will remain illusions, and His people need to be alert to the difference.
"Beware," He warns us, "lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty
deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world,
and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-9
But only a few are likely to
listen. As Dr. Stanley Monteith so wisely said, "...reality is usually scoffed at and
illusion is usually king, but in the battle for the survival of Western civilization it
will be reality and not illusion or delusion that will determine what the future will
bring."[1]
Endnotes
1. Dr. Stanley Monteith, www.radioliberty.com
2.
James Morton, former dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, speaking at
the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). Berit attended and taped this message
in Istanbul, Turkey, June 3-14, 1996. For more information about the UN-led transformation
of the way we live, see "UN-Habitat II."
3.
In his battle for a politically correct global consciousness, Ted Turner banned this word
from use among his CNN reporters.
4.
Remarks by the President at State of Utah Olympic Reception - Salt Lake City, February 8,
2002. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/20020208-7.html
5.
Pro-lifers protest Olympic
condoms
6.
Olympic Scandals: From
Bribery to Steroids, http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2338.html
Kimberly
Strassel, "Olympian Disdain," Wall Street Journal article, 2-8-02.
