Were you counted in the last census? I am not talking about the one held back during the course of last year, I am referring to the one held on back in November, on Election Day.
How is the United States such a world superpower, and yet Americans seem to be so stupid? On election day millions of Americans walked into voting booths and voted for socialist politicians intent on destroying our republic.
Of course, even before that low point, evidence of American stupidity has been in abundance for decades. But this election was something like a convention of American idiots. Actually, it was a census of the exact number of idiots we have in this country. How do people even end up like this? Why over the past few decades has America been breeding these people?
As a theologian, I am speaking in the Greek, of course. You see, to the Greeks, “idiot” was the ultimate term of scorn. Idiots were some of the most contemptible people in classical society. Why? To them, an idiot was “a person consumed only with self-interest.” And to the Greeks, the originators of democracy, nobody was more dangerous to society than an idiot.
Their reasoning went like this. Should enough of a society be consumed solely with self-interest, then the society would soon cease to be a democracy. People only concerned with themselves could not look out for any common good or shared interest. They couldn’t see into the future to analyze the long-term consequences of their actions. Nor can they exercise any of the following virtues: courage, compassion, truth, beauty, grace, generosity, kindness, humility, all of which are focused on the long-term well-being of others.
So, what will happen to such a society? The Greeks reasoned that when a society hit a threshold of idiots, it would soon lapse into poverty and then into tyranny. To the Greeks, idiots were so self-absorbed they were incapable of self-government. Since idiots would be too lazy or foolish to provide things for themselves, they’d soon try to exploit others to provide for them. Society would degenerate as each person sought to exploit the next. Such a society would lapse into cruelty, hostility, anger, stupidity, ignorance, and folly. It would ultimately implode, or self-destruct. At that point, a dictator or king would come along who would prey on all those fears. He would offer solutions to their problems, the type of solutions that would appeal to idiots, and democracy would flash out of existence.
The Greeks were pretty smart. What I just shared with you, even thousands of years later, is still more intelligent than what passes for modern economics and political science today. But does their theory still work in the 21st century? You only have to look at America. This election does something remarkable. It gives us an exact head count of American idiots. Now, I do not say that as an insult, but as an observation, in the classical sense, of course. These are people apparently consumed with the narrowest definition of self-interest possible.
Think about the Covid-idiots for a moment. They have wrecked our economy, further made a debacle of our inferior educational system, exploited the medical profession, and they have kept such crummy records, we still don’t know whether we handled the Covid pandemic wisely or not.
Then we have their close cousins, the socialized healthcare-idiots. The ones who believe that those who have a vested interest in our death, should be in charge of our health. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
Next, we have the gun control idiots. Those who often speak behind the protection of their own personal body guards who say we should not have the right to defend ourselves, regardless of what that pesky second amendment says. They also believe the world would be less violent with a weakened military and without the police.
Then, we have the gay rights idiots. They cannot seem to understand that if the lifestyle they promote were embraced by everyone, the human race would be wiped out in a few decades.
There are so many kinds of American idiots that I’ve barely scratched the surface. There are those who want open borders, abortion, $15.00 minimum wage, and a return to depending on others for our energy. But to the American idiot, freedom means the same thing it did to the Greek idiot: the right to do whatever you please, no matter how harmful it is to anyone else, yourself, your kids, your city, country, or your neighbors.
A few months ago we saw where the American idiot was authorized by liberal politicians to go out and set fire to their own neighborhood. That’s dumb enough, but what is even dumber is that they actually thought it was a smart thing to do! It’s impossible to explain just how the American idiot ends up thinking the bizarre things they come up with. It must take some effort. I guess, the internet reinforces it, the educational system teaches it, and the media promotes it. If it wasn’t so scary you could almost laugh. Maybe the world is laughing because in most of the rest of the world, such people don’t seem to exist, at least in such big numbers.
In the middle east, for example, a culture not always marked by brilliance, you can literally buy machine guns or even grenade launchers at the market. But nobody is shooting up their own schools or shopping centers. Maybe we should send them a few of our excess idiots just to liven things up a bit.
You see, the Greeks were right when it came to assessing idiots and what might happen once their numbers reached critical mass. What is a nation to do when this many people crave their own destruction? The good news is, they tend to self-destruct. Idiots are martyrs. ISIS and the Taliban are happy blowing themselves up. American idiots are happy destroying the principles that gave them the freedom to be idiots in the first place. The problem is, a lot of us may go down with the idiots as they self-destruct.
Although the Bible talks a lot about fools, nowhere does it give a simple and concise definition of what makes a person an absolute idiot. However, we can begin to piece together a definition by looking at some of the different characteristics that the word of God lists as the hallmarks of foolish people.
First, a fool does not seek wisdom. One of the hallmarks of the wise man is that he listens to correction and seeks understanding. By contrast, the fool spurns correction and makes no attempt to gain understanding.
“A fool hath no delight in understanding.” (Proverbs 18:2)
“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)
Idiots are convinced of their own righteousness and their own understanding. They are less concerned with learning from others and more concerned with showing how much they think they already know. They often don’t even learn from their own mistakes, blaming others when things go badly. The wise person has learned to recognize that there is much they can still learn.
Second, a fool is uncontrolled. The foolish person does not keep a check on their desires, but instead they give full vent to them. The foolish person is characterized by their anger, by their lusts, and by their greed. They show no control over these things.
“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11)
The fool quickly gives vent to their anger rather than trying to restrain it. This is, in part, why fools tend to be people who quickly fly off the handle. They only see what is right in front of them. They have learned that by giving vent to their anger, they often get what they want. They don’t think about how expressing that anger might affect their relationships and their situation in the long term. A fool is uncontrolled, not seeing much beyond their immediate situation.
Third, a fool does not submit to God. This is at the core of foolishness. One of the most famous passages in this regard is found in the book of Psalms.
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psalm 14:1)
This is not merely saying that the person who claims not to believe in God is a fool (though it certainly is saying that),it is actually going deeper. Even a person who claims outwardly to believe in God, can say in their hearts that there is no God. Such a person does not submit their lives to God’s plan, they continue to go their own way. They may outwardly claim that God exists, but they live as though He doesn’t.
Notice that the characteristics of a fool have to do with their character as a person and not with their intelligence, wealth, or position in life. There are people who are very smart who are also very foolish. Similarly, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, both can be fools, and both can also be wise. The person who is educated can be a fool just as easily as the person who is not. And the lowest man in the company can be just as foolish or just as wise as the person sitting in the corner office. We must not judge a person to be a fool on the basis of these external characteristics. A fool is a fool because of what they choose to be on the inside.
If you’re like me, as you look at these descriptions, you realize that these characteristics are sometimes descriptive of us. Every one of us acts foolishly at times. I can even play the idiot occasionally. Hopefully, this is not the pattern of our life, but rather a temporary condition. Dealing with foolish people is a part of life. You might think that putting an idiot in leadership would rarely happen. Sadly, it happens all too often. Maybe part of the problem is that often idiots know how to make themselves look good. Consorting with a compliant media, they will blame others for their failures, and take credit for the accomplishments they had nothing to do with. Soon everyone will be convinced that they are gifted.
Finally, the temptation is for us to look down on idiots, and to think of ourselves as superior to them. Of course, such an attitude is not wise. We should be respectful and loving, even if we are not shown that same love and respect in return.
We like to think of idiots as lovable characters who make us laugh and entertain us, but the biblical truth is that foolishness isn’t a laughing matter. Idiots are on a self-destructive path, and the sad part is they don’t even realize it. Fools can not only hurt themselves, but they usually hurt others in the process. Idiots have even destroyed countries in the past, and if left unchecked, they will destroy America.
So, again I say, the Greeks were right. There is no greater curse for a society than a surplus of idiots, and no greater danger to a nation than it crossing a threshold of having an excess of idiots. So, what are we to do? Make sure you are a Christian and then make it your concern to always walk in wisdom. Next, we must pray for the lost, for those in darkness, and especially for those in leadership. Idiots need prayer, and there is a lot of them.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry for over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College.