Steven Garofalo
Spirituality/Belief • Education • News
IS MULTICULTURALISM GOOD? (PT1)
By Steven Garofalo, August 19. 2024 (Copyright 2024)
August 19, 2024

America has been called “The Melting Pot” for all people, cultures and countries around the world. But is multiculturalism good? More importantly, is it biblical? In this series, I am going to show you through the Scriptures that the gathering of many cultures in one place, or multiculturalism” can be beautiful, but ONLY when under the Federal Headship of Jesus.

Britannica.com in an article by Jennifer T. Eagan, last updated July 19, 2024 defines “multiculturalism” as “the view that cultures, races, and ethnicities, particularly those of minority groups deserve special acknowledgement of their differences within dominant political culture”

The one big problem with this definition is the point that new comers to any culture or country somehow “deserve special acknowledgement”. This serves only to destroy the existing culture and refill that space with those of other cultures that do not deserve or have not worked for what they have been given. An example of this is the U.S. governments granting tens of thousands of dollars to migrants (non-U.S. citizens) to buy new homes with the hard earned tax money generated by citizens of that country-against the will or without the consent of it’s citizens. This is more political than it is compassionate.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in the Washington D.C. area. New York City and Washington D.C. are about as multicultural as you get and I had tons of friends from countries around the world which was awesome. Growing up in these cities, the one commonality my multicultural friends and I shared were the (biblical values) of hard work, respect for one another, and the respect of my friends being in my country, as would be expected when I visit theirs. That seems to be lost in today’s world. Multiculturalism is beautiful on one hand though and destabilizing and can be disastrous on the other. 

It all boils down to a “United States” of America or “United State Countries of Europe” or any other continent that determines a countries unity, stability, functionality and so on. When you bring migrants into any country that are poor and cannot pay for themselves, you enslave the citizens of that country against their will to pay for the cost of living of the existing citizens. The result as such results in “TRIBALISM”.

TRIBALISM, according to the Mariam Webster Dictionary is: “Consciousness and loyalty especially exaltation of the tribe about other groups; strong group loyalty”

When I was a little boy, in New York City, the neighborhood my family lived in was mostly Italian. My grandmother would take me to the “market” (not supermarket) for fresh food and nobody spoke English, at least not to my grandmother. They all spoke her dialect of Sicilian. My other grandmother only spoke English. But both sides of the family “ASSIMILATED” into American culture, adopting American values, including working hard and not taking hand outs.

Today, we find entire ethnic groups from poor countries and not so poor countries coming to America and Europe with no desire to engage in the American or European work ethic; instead living off government provisions. Furthermore, speaking of American in-particular, many of these ethnic groups live in America, but refuse to assimilate into American culture. And here lies the issue in that it creates cultural, ethnic and religious tribalism. The same is true of Europe.

In this two part series, I want to focus on most all that matters, which is “religious” assimilation". WHY? Because if all ethnicities were to adopt the Christian religion and/or values of the Christian faith, the United States would be more “UNITED” than ever before. But there is one problem which is that every country has a central dominant, traditional religion which governs their values, mores, traditions, values and laws. When Islam’s Sharia Law is seen by its American citizen members of the Islamic faith as above the Constitution, it creates a divide among more serious issues. In the Middle East, there is NO multiculturalism. In India which means “Country or Land of the Indis”, there is very little if any multiculturalism. The same with China, Japan and most of the East among the rest of the world.

As a result, WESTERN-CHRISTIAN dominant cultures are diluted into “nothingness” while non-assimilating cultures and religions take over the Christian landscape-all in the name of “POLITICAL MULTICULTURALISM”. A major part of this equation is government control, but this is not the point of this article.

In PART 2, I am going to do more of a deep dive, looking at specific directives given by the Old Testament as to the dangers of multiculturalism and show you what that means for you and I today. The biblcal view of multiculturalism deals with many aspects of life and reality but not in an overly practical and prescriptive way. All people and cultures are part of our human heritage and equally valued by God for sure. And politicaly, teh Bible has more to say about respecting authority than it does about specific policies, Theologically though, the Bible does NOT support the idea that all cultural religous ideas are equally true or shouldbe treated as such. In the end, yes, we are all equal in God’s eyes. But God is clear that Christians and Jewish people are not to mix their religious beliefs in the name of “MULTICULTURALISM”, however attractive as that may seem. I will pick up with that point in PART2.

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“8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,[a] liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound[b] doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1:8-11 ESV)

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To my friend David

Zach and I had the privilege of having breakfast with my friend David. He cares for his wife who is declining in life and she is now permanently in a home. David had a rough day before we all met. He is a faithful man who loves the Lord and his wife. Please add David to your prayer list … for a new group of new friends closer to home and a good activity to help him enjoy life apart from his job and caring for his wife…David, we love you and are praying for you weekly…love Steven and Zach

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DO PETS GO TO HEAVEN?

When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

In a peace by Michael Housman, Founder of GotQuestions.Org, Housman wrote that “The BIble does not give any explicit teaching on whether pets or animals in general have souls, or spirits, or whether pets and other animals will be in heaven.

His answer was short but the animals not having souls maybe up for debate.

We can use general biblical principles to develop some clarity on the subject though Housman wrote. The Bible states that both man (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15 and 22) have the “BREATH OF LIFE” that is, both man and animals are living beings. Furthermore, the primary difference between human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not.

Being made in the image and likeness of God means that human beings are like God in some ways; they are capable of spirituality; they have a mind, emotion, and “will”; and part of their “being” continues after death.

If pets and other animals do have a “soul” (or spirit or immaterial aspect), it must therefore be of a different and lesser “quality”. This difference possibly means that pets and other animal “souls”  do not continue in existence after death.

Another factor to consider regarding whether pets will be in heaven is that animals are a port of God’s creative process in Genesis. God created the animals and said they were good (Genesis 1:25). Therefore, there is no reason why there could not be pets and animals on the NEW EARTH as described in (Revelation 21:1). 

In the end, there will most definitely be animals during the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25). It is impossible to say definitely whether some animals of these animals might be the pets we had here on earth. We do know that God is just and that when we get to heaven, we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever that turns out to be.

So, there you have it. I think that’s the best answer on the subject in all honest. Please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and check out StevenGarofalo.Com for exclusive content and early release of our two weekly podcast.

Until next time, I’m your host Steven Garofalo, and this is your reason for truth for today.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By Steven Garofalo, May 2, 2025

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ECONOMY

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Today, I am going to show you through Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 that vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, will devour one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Let’s get started.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

COMMENTARY: There are two things king Solomon is saying here within the theme of the vanity of WEALTH and HONOR. Wealth and honor are two different things, as one can have wealth with or without honor or honor with or without wealth. That being said, let’s look at verses 8 and 9 independently to see the simple message God provides us today through Solomon.

BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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SOLA SCRIPTURA
A Protestant & Catholic View Comparison

I grew up Catholic and now go to a Protestant or non-Catholic church in Charlotte, NC. Michael Houdmann, Founder and CEO of GotQuestions.Org writes that a major difference between the two boils down to believing in the Bible alone as God's word verses believing that God's word plus man's input as the divine inspired word of God.

WHAT DO PROTESTANTS BELIEVE?

A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE?

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura hence do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They see both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally authoritative and binding on the Christian. While not all Catholics hold to doctrines such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., the Catholic doctrine hold to them even though they have little or no mention or basis in the Bible. In truth, these doctrines are based on Roman Catholic traditions based on the Catholic Church's insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority. The problem with this is that it undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

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