The word schizophrenic is composed of two words, schizo and phrenic.  Schizo means “split” or “divided.” Phren means “mind.”  Thus schizophrenic means to have a split or divided mind.  James 1:8 says, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  The word translated “double-minded” here literally means “two souled.”  The soul includes a man’s mind, will, and emotions.  In James’ view, a “doubled-minded” man is one who lacks wisdom and does not walk by faith in the one true God.  Today we would call a “double-minded” man schizophrenic if we wanted to doubt his sanity and put him on drugs to “treat” his ailment.  Unfortunately, we label people as schizophrenic very selectively because that label really applies to most of us.  Let’s consider some examples.

I often take walks in State parks and other natural areas of Missouri.  You can well imagine that such parks are managed by conservation officials who would be considered “green” by the Democrat Party and the liberal left.  Missouri itself now has a democrat governor.  Yet, just last week I took a walk at one of our most beautiful parks, Hawn State Park in St. Genevieve County.  Two state park workers started using gas-powered blowers to blow a few leaves out of the picnic area as we started walking!  The blast of the motors totally ruined the natural atmosphere.  And the green house gases!  Oh my!  What ever happened to using a rake to move a few leaves?  So, the people who run these “natural” programs say they are “green” and, of course, support all legislative efforts to cut green house gases, and yet move a few leaves with a gas-powered blower.  They are double-minded, schizophrenic.

Then there is the new law in St. Louis, Missouri to ban smoking at almost all bars and restaurants.  Why?  They don’t want anyone to be “harmed” by second-hand smoke.  Yet these same liberal legislators who implemented the law do everything they can to protect and promote the homosexual lifestyle which is known for its rampant disease, not the least of which is the dread disease AIDS.  Do you think they considered enacting any laws that would protect the public from these diseases?  Why not?  They are double-minded, schizophrenic.

And today we have a new blog from a leading liberal writer named Camille Paglia which appears on her salon.com page.  She begins by saying, “Buyer’s remorse? Not me. At the North American summit in Guadalajara this week, President Obama resumed the role he is best at — representing the U.S. with dignity and authority abroad. This is why I, for one, voted for Obama and continue to support him. The damage done to U.S. prestige by the feckless, buffoonish George W. Bush will take years to repair. Obama has barely begun the crucial mission that he was elected to do.”

Then, halfway through her article, she writes, “There is plenty of blame to go around. Obama’s aggressive endorsement of a healthcare plan that does not even exist yet, except in five competing, fluctuating drafts, makes Washington seem like Cloud Cuckoo Land. The president is promoting the most colossal, brazen bait-and-switch operation since the Bush administration snookered the country into invading Iraq with apocalyptic visions of mushroom clouds over American cities.

“You can keep your doctor; you can keep your insurance, if you’re happy with it, Obama keeps assuring us in soothing, lullaby tones. Oh, really?”

How can she say such scathing things about this President, yet have no “buyer’s remorse?”  She is double-minded, schizophrenic.

The truth of the matter is this, all people who do not practice righteousness by consciously obeying God’s commands as revealed through his Word and repenting when they fail will, by definition, be schizophrenic.  There is no middle ground.  You either travel the narrow way “unto” Christ, or you don’t.  When you don’t, you suffer the results of your double-mindedness, and so do the rest of us.  Mystery Babylon defines herself by her schizophrenia.  Come out of her now.