J Heinrich Arnold-Freedom from sinful thoughts.pdf

FREEDOM FROM SINFUL THOUGHTS - S U G G E S T I O Nthe more subtle – but equally powerful – force ofsuggestion through inanimate objects: the books, magazines,and news- papers we read, the shows and films wewatch, the music we listen to, the advertisements andcommercials that bombard us daily.Obviously, suggestion can be a positive as well asnegative force. Yet with regard to the struggle againstunwanted thoughts, it is important to recognize justhow powerfully it can work against the voice of theconscience. On a broader level, its negative power isevident in contemporary stances on divisive issues suchas abortion and homosexuality, and also in our society’sattitudes toward violence. Often these things arousesuch strong feelings in people that it becomes impossiblefor them to speak about them objectively. Howdifferent it would be if each of us searched our ownheart about these important questions rather thanletting ourselves be swayed by what the media or theexperts say!The zeitgeist is most visible, perhaps, in the frighteningshamelessness that marks our age. It shows itself indress, literature, art, and music – through their expressionsof inner disunity and separation from the Creator,and through their appeal to the lowest human instincts.At a deeper level, it can be seen elsewhere too: ingovernment and corporate corruption, in the18