Monday, November 12, 2012

Declaration of Chivalry

Men, as a whole, are under attack, and tragically young men and women alike—older, too, for that matter—are simply accepting it. But not everyone. Some men and women are still willing to stand up and challenge the cultural mindsets of our day.

One such man is the writer of today’s blog post. That’s right, I may be introducing the blog post, but I didn’t write it. Luke Alistar (fondly known as Matt),  is a friend of mine who wrote a Declaration of Chivalry early last year. It spread like wildfire through our circle of friends and was signed by many young men in various locations.
But alas, as with most great blog posts, they fall to the back of people's minds when they have been up for long periods of time.  However, the attack on manhood is still very real today, and I think it’s time to bring the Declaration of Chivalry back to the forefront of men, and woman's, minds.  Because Matt's words still hold great power today.  So, with Matt’s permission, I am doing just that.  I'm bringing it back to the forefront of our minds.
  
 Declaration of Chivalry
by Luke Alistar
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for us young men to decide how we will treat the fairer sex in personal interaction, and to assume among the people of the earth the honorable station which the laws of God have ordained for us, decency of character requires that we declare widely the chivalrous beliefs we hold, in hopes that others will join us.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created strong, as protectors; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unavoidable duties; that among these duties are chivalry, honor, and purity. That to carry out these duties, we must look to the Bible for wisdom, deriving our just direction from the Word of God through prayer; that whenever any man becomes destructive of these honorable qualities, it is our right to alter or abolish him, and to comfort those who have been hurt, keeping our values founded on what is true and good, which all comes from the Creator.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that the wisdom of older Christ-following men who have proved their values should not be disregarded for the drives of the passionate young heart or even our own interpretations of God’s word; but still all experience behind the advice we receive must be considered, and tested against the Holy Scriptures.

Now, when a long trail of abuses and perversions arise while men of all ages pursue beautiful girls, it is our right, it is our duty, to condemn such actions, and to provide our services for the future security of said beautiful girls. Such has been the sufferance of many innocent victims, and some not so innocent but still victims, and such is now the necessity which constrains us to sign this declaration and endeavor to alter the decadent decay of our culture.

The history of the present state of the world is a history of repeated injuries and perversions, all having in direct object the destruction of purity and honor, the selfish fulfilling of fleshly desires, and the oppression of all that is innocent and true. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

Men have refused to stand up for what they believe.

They have shirked their responsibilities as males, their divine duties, and utterly neglected to show unconditional love to those who depend on them.

They have refused to honor innocence when it would interfere with the satisfying of their selfish desires, or the reaching of their goals.

They have called together legislative bodies to pass laws, which give them the right to abandon families and pervert the perfect system of marriage instituted by God without facing any immediate consequences.

They have torn down the opposition repeatedly for resisting with manly firmness their invasions on the rights of the fairer sex.

They have endeavored to prevent the pursuit of pure and Godly relationships; for that purpose introducing all manner of intolerant attitudes and evil alternatives to purity.
They have obstructed the administration of Biblical justice, by refusing their assent to laws that would hold men to a higher standard.

They have raped; they have murdered; they have abandoned children. They have broken countless hearts; they have refused to admit when they are wrong; they have committed every atrocious work of evil that could be imagined.

We, therefore, the representatives of the Bible-believing Church of God, of which Jesus Christ is the greatest authority, in Christian brotherhood standing together and appealing to God for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ, solemnly publish and declare, that we will do everything in our power to spread honor and chivalry through the world; that all women and girls have the right to be treated with respect; that we will never touch them without permission, and then only if the contact is in keeping with the exhortations of the Bible; that we will refrain from all lewd remarks and keep our eyes and thoughts where they belong; that those perverted men who cause harm and/or fear to women will be swiftly and justly dealt with; and that as sons of God we will treat all girls as sisters, standing firm to protect them from harm, to honor their wishes and requests as far as we ourselves are concerned. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the perfect and true Word of God, we mutually pledge to Jesus Christ and to the good of all women, our lives, our fortunes, our devotion of pure intentions, and our sacred honor as men, the divinely ordained protectors of those weaker than ourselves.

Let all those in agreement solemnly affirm this promise, and seal their commitment by adding their signature below.

 *************
This declaration is my prayer for the men who will read it. I pray that the Lord will enable you all to stand in the gates and be forerunners ofa new generation who will follow in your footsteps. And I pray the girls reading this will remember their duty as partners and encouragers in this venture we call life. We should spur the men in our lives on, affirm them, and build them up, not tear them down and participate in the cultural degradation of men. 
So what do you say, guys? Will you sign your name large enough for Satan to read without his spectacles, as one of my friends so passionatly put it?
And girls, will you let them? For let’s face it, girls, we often are the largest stumbling block for men to overcome.
If anyone, man or woman, chooses to take up this cause, then I bid you this in closing. Give your enemies no quarter. Fight well. Don't lose heart. Embrace your calling.
 
About Luke Alistar
(because I like to talk about my friends and their accomplishments)

Luke is the oldest of nine homeschooled siblings and will be getting married on June 8th of 2013. He is a freelance author, humorist, novelist, blogger, carpenter, and much more. He currently has seven books availablefor sale, including Offset, which placed as a finalist in the 2010 One Year Adventure Novel Contest, Snapshots, a thriller that took first place in the 2011 contest and won him a college scholarship, and Unseen, a gritty novel that became wildly popular. In addition to these writing successes, Luke has also been published in Writer’s Digest, and he writes for Kingdom Pen, a newsletter by Christian young people for other Christian writers.
Luke is also a brilliant composer, and plays the piano, guitar, and mandolin, and has released his own album entitled Improv: PicturesOn Silence.
If you would like to learn more about Luke, or read more of his work, you can visit his blog, which he updates regularly with posts on a wide variety of subjects: fiction, nonfiction, poems, songs, essays, book reviews, and articles.


**Credit for the image used in this blog post goes to BushMaid (Aussie, as you have heard me call her many times). She was the artistic genius behind the image which the Declaration of Chivalry inspired.

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I sure think so! Matt did an amazing job writing this declaration. It sends shivers- the good kind- up my spine. :D

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  2. Thank you for bringing this back to our attention, Kaitlyn. 'Twas good to remind myself of what I have committed to.

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    1. Happy to, Mark. :) I imagine being away at college certainly makes this harder. :P

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    2. Actually, not as much as you might think (starting out college by living at home and attending a Christian college helps).
      However, the amount of opportunities I've had to put this into practice has gone up exponentially (excuse the hyperbole), so this reminder is good in that way. :)

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    3. That's awesome, Mark! So excited for you, and glad things are going well. :D

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