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by Jason DeZurik

he·don·ism
/ˈhēdnˌizəm,ˈhēdəˌnizəm/
noun
1. the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.
Philosophy: the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.

When I was a child, I was blessed to go to Church every single week. As I got older, I also attended a vibrant youth ministry every single Wednesday evening.

Admittedly, it has taken me many years to realize that while church attendance was and is very important, and I encourage it, that’s not really what influenced my life. Back then, what really influenced my life more than anything were friends and the government-run school I attended. I believe it is time for many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s to admit what way of life and lifestyle many of us really were disciples of. It’s time to admit many of us were trained up and put on the road to hedonism.

I am not saying in every circumstance, but in many, many ways, we were directed toward hedonism being the way of life we should pursue. I encourage you to pray about this. Think about and remember the music, movies. Think about the fact that in the government-run schools we were educated in frowned immensely on not talking about the God of the Bible and not teaching His good and right ways. What was promoted and taught? The philosophy of hedonism. I encourage you to pray and truly seek out God’s counsel on this.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning;
for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

As I look back on my life, I realize how much I listened to and allowed the ideas of humans to influence my life instead of hearing and obeying God’s ways to live in this world that He has given to us. Just one example in my life is in regard to the meaning of the word love. The Bible is clear that love is long suffering and love is kind, and it does not envy, nor is it self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13). A friend of mine “counseled” me in the meaning of the word and “helped” me to see that love could mean something else. This person encouraged me to see that loving someone could be having sex with another person I desired to be with that wasn’t my wife to “show” her how much I “loved” her, even though we knew that the Bible taught something completely different. Sadly, I began to see the “wisdom” in this new thought. In essence, this person was trying to convince me to live out the philosophy of hedonism, that “pleasure is the highest and proper aim of human life.”

Think about much of the music children and teenagers were exposed to in the 1970s and 1980s:
“Pour some sugar on me”
“Girls, girls, girls”
“Shook me all night long”
“Talk dirty to me”
“When doves cry”

Those of us who grew up listening to songs like these know what they are about. You’re not an idiot and neither am I. These songs and many songs like them are all about hedonism. It is my belief that it is time for those of us who grew up in that time and indulged in hedonism, and possibly still are, need to confess our sin, ask for forgiveness, and repent – turn away from this way of life.

I think if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see things in our society and even in the Church now have only gotten worse.

I greatly encourage you to begin to strive to live out for Jesus Christ in all that you do. Begin to raise your children in Godliness and not in the ways of the world anymore. As Christ followers, we need to take Romans 12:2 seriously.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- Romans 12:2

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