Many people who are great will tell you that one of the reasons they have succeeded is because of the people who inspired or influenced them early on in their lives. Usually, they go back to things their teachers or people with authority over them said at one time. This can be a very good thing. Many people have succeeded due to something that someone once said or showed them. But, this can also be a very harmful thing. When people with the wrong kinds of views get into positions of leadership, they are often able to adversely affect people who come in contact with them.
Teachers are some of the most influential people in the world and can have a profound effect on others. If teachers can influence their students to take on their own personal views toward political and spiritual issues, they believe they have succeeded. Teachers can use this gift to be a help to their students, but they can also use it negatively. They can be an influence on young as well as old minds as they will often emphasize their own personal views and downplay or ignore the other side of the argument. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.”
In the case of Evolution vs. Creation, a student could go through all the years of public school, possibly even through college, hearing only the doctrine of evolution. They will never be given an opportunity to choose for themselves between the two views. They will be taught about the supposed evidences for evolution, but never told that all of the examples for this belief have been either disproved or are still only a theory.
Likewise, people who are only given the Creation side of the story will be faced with many doubts when they suddenly come face to face with the almost overwhelming hold that evolution has on the study of science. They may reject the truth for something that seems to have much more “evidence” because they were never taught by their teacher how to stand up and defend what they believe in.
Teachers are not the only ones who have a great influence through their leadership. Well-known pastors, celebrities, and people of political importance are most often looked up to as role models. They use the media or other information outlets to give their opinions to the general public. When these types of people strive to get into positions of authority, they are either crushed by the media and are not able their message out, or they will go on unchallenged, presenting their views as absolute and spreading it to the masses. Of course, all of this depends on what they are standing for in the first place. Generally it is the Conservatives that are pushed out of the prominent circles.
So while these people are having their views scrutinized by the world, I can also have an influence. Some of the best ways that I can share my views or positions with the public are through writing, the media and politics, as well as being willing to discuss important issues with various people that I come in contact with.
Writing is a very powerful thing. As we look back through history and even today, we can see that when men wanted to distribute their ideas to the world, they wrote about them. Whether it was through articles in local newspapers or pamphlets that they circulated, they always tried to get their views out.
When King George the III began unfairly taxing the colonists, our founding fathers printed articles protesting the injustice. Their unfailing beliefs and bravery in getting the information to the people were invaluable to the founding of our liberty and our nation.
During WWII, in many of the Nazi and Communist countries, the Underground Press did all they could to get pieces of literature to people to tell them of the importance of standing up for their freedoms and fighting back against oppression.
In Communist China, when the Communists were taking over the country, they sent out informative writings that presented a false view of their system of government so as to deceive the people into thinking that the new system of government would create a better way of living. After the government was established, the people saw how they had been fooled by the false writings, but it was too late to do anything about it.
It’s just the same in the media. How many people will tell you that they heard about or saw that person speaking on the television or the radio? As a Christian, I can rise up through appearing on news-stations or producing God-honoring films or documentaries. I may be able to make a lasting difference on the people of the world through this type of influence.
In the political ring, if Christians like me, or even just conservatives can grab onto an important position, they can help break the hold that the government has on the mind of the people. Even if we are not able to get in this type of position of leadership, we can help the people that are our authorities, by doing things like putting a sign in your yard or organizing rallies and passing out information.
I don’t know if this is going to be my future in life, but these are some of things that I think would be the best way for me to glorify God and to have an impact on the people around me, the people in my town, or even people around the world.