I very much enjoy your store, your food and being kept up to date with your newsletters.
However, I must admit that this email was unnecessary and not why I subscribe. I have a right to my political opinion, which is obviously vastly different than your own, but I would never use our newsletter to spam people on my personal opinion.
I hope to continue to support Harvest Haven however I can, but will find it necessary to stop if I receive any more emails such as this.
Sincerely,
Matthew George, Soil Foodweb Canada
Manager & Soil Food Web Instructor
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your candid response. I will be open in return, and hope you will be willing to hear me out. I believe there is value in my answer and this discussion. I would look forward to a reply from you.
Let me begin by clarifying a couple points.
You say that we obviously have vastly different political opinions, and that it was not necessary for us to share ours with you in this newsletter. You are reading something into our letter that is not there. We are not politically affiliated or oriented (read For Whom Do We Vote?). The letter was not about politics at all, but about morals. It was not political opinion, but a statement of fact about the evil intent of some and ignorance of others. We felt it was important for everyone to hear.
Just as the important and much needed work of the Soil Foodweb links the condition of the soil to the unseen life residing there (or lack thereof), so did Victor’s message deal with that which is unseen yet plays a crucial role in determining the health of all Canadians and any people.
And just as you can safely say that the existence of beneficial microorganisms in the soil is not simply your opinion, but a fact, so can we say that the existence of God and the spiritual realm is not our opinion, but also a fact. The email we sent you was not our opinion, but the revealed will and verdict of God on the coalition and its motives. It was also an encouragement to all (including those in the wrong) to do what is right, which is not a political issue, but a spiritual matter of everyday being that covers all activities in life.
Consider: Not one political platform or agenda was articulated or promoted in the email. What people see there has everything to do with their political leanings, and nothing to do with what was actually said. Read it again and see for yourself.
Because the spiritual realm is unseen does not mean it doesn’t exist and isn’t determining the outcome of all things. All things are dependent on the spiritual realm because God, Who is Spirit, created and rules over them from there (which we call the Kingdom of Heaven). We are made in His image and are meant to be His connection between the seen and unseen realms. It is written: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15 KJV).
Do you believe that all the marvels you see in the soil, not to mention our lives and existence, are mere happenstance? Not so!
Back to the email in question: You might then say, “Fine, you believe in God, but why can’t you be giving your opinion and calling it God?” That is a valid question, and such a thing would, no doubt, be offensive to God. You would not like someone putting out contrary messages in the name of your organization; He likes it no less, especially when He knows the evil that comes of people misleading others in such a way. There is great wickedness done in His Name, some of which you would already be aware, I think.
But your beef is not that we are speaking in the Name of God. It is simply that we have spoken contrary to your political opinion, and whether we do so from God or not doesn’t matter. Isn’t that so?
If you feel something is important enough to have an opinion about it, isn’t it important enough to know the truth about it, too? Why is a person’s opinion sacrosanct, especially when it is formulated or sustained by ignorance? For example, I once had the opinion that the fruits and vegetables at any grocery store were healthy. Now, knowing what I do about GMOs, organics, and soil health, I have a different “opinion” – one much better informed, so much so that I no longer consider it opinion, but sure knowledge.
Mark Benson brings to my attention the fact that your organization’s founder, Elaine Ingham, was fired by the USDA for her “opinion” on GMOs. Her former bosses’ backers, the chemical companies, are outraged to this day with Elaine’s “opinion” in favor of soil microbiology versus the use of chemicals. Are not some things worth standing for, no matter the opposition and price to be paid for standing in the truth?
Many are of the opinion we shouldn’t talk about politics or religion, but what if your opinion in those matters is keeping you from hearing and acting on life-giving truth? Shall we let your opinion stop us from speaking to you?
We are not here to strive with you or anyone else, however, so we will remove your name from our mailing list, if that is what you wish. (We cannot promise that another message like this won’t happen, or that we won’t mention what God thinks or says in the Harvest Haven Herald, for example.)
To sum up the email in question, we were not speaking our personal opinion on politics, hoping to make you a Tory. We spoke the truth from God about what was going on in a situation that included politics. The proof of the divine origin of our words is that they are being fulfilled: God cursed the coalition – “Let the pack be broken and scattered,” and so it has (those words were spoken before it happened). This has been a good thing, with a very good end or purpose: “Let them be cursed of God, and let all people know that God reigns in Heaven against all ungodliness over the affairs of men.”
There is the promise of great things to come, Matthew. We have personally experienced those things within and can testify of the goodness of coming under God’s reign. Read Our Testimonies.
How do you think the earth will be saved from the rapacity of men who are destroying it? Are they not destroying themselves?
“The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and to those that fear Your Name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18 EMTV).
God is against all ungodliness; it is all destructive, on all levels. That is why we stand with you in your work.
Imagine, if you will, when our next newsletter comes out, instead of speaking about anything related to soil biology or our lab, our newsletter contained information on why a coalition government is a great idea. How it represents the majority of people and how more can be achieved by working together with people that can find common ground. Imagine still that I framed all this with an agnostic point of view, stating that since the existence of God cannot be proven but only believed, that a coalition government that represented the majority of the religious spectrum was healthier for our country.
Without a doubt this would go well beyond why anyone subscribes to our newsletter. I am positive I would have some requests to unsubscribe, or at least a few people tell me that was not why they subscribe. Further, I am positive there would be a lot more that would not say anything, but be upset with how I used our newsletter. For every one person that speaks up, your can count on 10 to 20 more that feel the same way that do not speak up.
If, somehow, I was able to take all that information above and relate it to our lab or soil biology, then maybe I could justify it, but I would be walking a fine line indeed. But that is not what your newsletter did, besides briefly touching upon the economy, which would effect your business. You used your newsletter to express your opinion on the coalition in relation to your belief in God, but not in relation to your business, which is why people subscribe to your newsletter. If I, or anyone else for that matter, wanted to be kept abreast to your religious or political opinions, with nothing to do with your business, then I would subscribe to a newsletter for that sole purpose only. However using your business newsletter to discuss your religious/political opinions is not acceptable, in my opinion, which is why I wrote to you in the first place.
Like I previously stated, I enjoy your store and your food very much. I have also enjoyed working with Mark and hope to do more in the future. I think we can both agree on the state of agriculture, health and what man is doing to these things. These things are what are businesses are all about, and why we can use our newsletter to share those views. I also believe you have the right to your religious/political views just as much as I or anyone else does, and I believe that there is a time and place that debate can be constructive and productive. However I do not believe a business newsletter is the place for these opinions or debate when they do not relate to the businesses in question.
Sincerely,
Matthew George, Soil Foodweb Canada
Manager & Soil Food Web Instructor
Matthew,
We understand what you are saying, but your basic premise is wrong. Though Harvest Haven is a farm and health business, our main business and reason for being here is to do the will of our Father in Heaven. He trumps everything because He is everything. By Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, all things consist.
You don’t know Him, but He is also your Creator and gives you life. We do know Him because He has brought us into the spiritual dimension where we live with and in Him. Because of this, we represent Him in all that we do, and at times we speak directly on His behalf to people who have not yet heard Him. We cannot impose our will on anyone, but we also cannot let anyone impose his or her will on us, to tell us not to shout from the rooftops the things God has whispered in our ears.
There are times when something has to be said, and this was one of them. To you it is simply a political stance, because you are not seeing the unseen dimension from which all things are derived and determined.
You are exhibiting the same reductionistic mindset of those who scoff and fight against your work in the Soil Foodweb. While they refuse to consider the life of the soil, you ignore and dismiss the Life and Light of mankind.
Here is something that He, Jesus Christ, said to the ruler of this world, Satan:
“But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4 EMTV).
We cannot and do not live by agriculture alone. Whether we are talking about farming or health or whatever, we live by the Son of God, Who is the Word of God made flesh.
The world has been under the rule and influence of the Prince of darkness where men say and act as you do: “Keep God out of our business,” be it agriculture, medicine, politics, industry, or religion (yes, particularly religion). The bottom line is that man doesn’t want God telling him what to do. He insists on being a free agent. God has given man ample opportunity to see how this free agency works out. How are things working out on your end? How do things look to you?
Nevertheless, the Owner can call in the chips any time He chooses. He is in charge and always has been. You, along with many others, have not known this. He is letting everyone know, because now is the time for the artificial and destructive barriers to come down. Not to implement religion, but to have reality and freedom in the truth.
Do you see freedom in the truth in your field? Be honest. It is time to reclaim from the thief and liar all that has been usurped from the rightful Owner, and to see things restored to what God made them without the taint and degradation of man’s intervention. That is what God is doing and will do through our testimony of His words, which give life to the world, resurrection life.
We are not planning on changing the nature of our communications. We will still be talking about the things we are learning, doing, and offering at our farm. We will not censor anything we have to say about God, but it is not our intention to try to convert anyone. You did not see that in the message that offended you. It was just a matter of sharing the truth by stating the facts. How will people have opportunity to know unless they are informed?
How you want to handle this is up to you, Matthew. You don’t have to read the parts where we talk about spiritual matters. We will have a new Harvest Haven Herald coming out at the beginning of the year, Lord willing. Would you like to receive it?
Paul