There was a prophet in the past that did not mince words: "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord" (Isaiah 30:9).

Sound familiar? Take a look around—this is also the world we live in. It's a world filled with people who not only refuse to hear the "law of the Lord," but take every opportunity available to them to defy it. We see it all around us—in movies, in songs, in paintings. In every medium of artistic expression known to man, he has found a way to ignore the Bible.

On Friday, April 25, mankind will once again place himself at odds with God during the 13th annual Day of Silence. Upwards of 4,000 high schools across America alone will have students taking part in this event where participants will spend the entire school day in silence. Why?

According to the official Day of Silence Organizing Manual, "The Day of Silence is designed to draw attention to the bullying and harassment faced by LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] students everywhere. Silence is used as a tactic to provide a space for personal reflections about the consequences of being silent and silenced. The Day of Silence is an effort that can raise awareness on this issue, prompting people to talk and think about it."

Bullying for any reason is wrong, and God loves and wants us to love all people. Yet in reality this Day of Silence becomes a day to promote sexual immorality in general and homosexual activity in particular as practices that should not be frowned upon—but should rather be accepted by everyone. What's wrong with this picture?

The problem is that tolerance, as preached so vehemently by the Western world, in essence has come to mean that we must view all beliefs as acceptable solely because they are believed, all lifestyles as unimpeachable solely because they are lived and all ideas as valid solely because they are thought. At its core, this philosophy leads to one inevitable conclusion—that no way of life is wrong.

The Bible is not silent on these matters. "Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Amplified Bible for clarity).

Do you suppose that the world would support a Day of Silence that encouraged thievery or extortion? Not likely, at least for right now.

But the world is heading down a steep path, one that may soon truly embrace things like thievery and extortion as openly as it already does heterosexual immorality, homosexuality, drunkenness (via alcohol or drugs) and materialistic idolatry. Please read "Is Homosexuality Acceptable to God?" for more information.

It is the duty of a true Christian in this darkened age "to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). It is also such a vertical thinker’s responsibility to be a good example—not just in words, but in actions—of the right way of living.

To see young lives lived as God clearly intended, and not just as we "feel" life should be lived, sends a message louder and brighter than any Day of Silence could ever hope to achieve. VT