photo #1625464

NEWSPEAK IN DANIEL CHAPTER 1 Newspeak is the fictional language of Oceania, a totalitarian superstate that is the setting of dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. In the novel, the Party created Newspeak  to meet the ideological requirements of English Socialism (called Ingsoc) in Oceania. Newspeak is a controlled language of simplified grammar and restricted vocabulary designed to limit the individual's ability to think and articulate "subversive" concepts such as personal identity, self-expression and free will. Such concepts are criminalized as thought-crime since they contradict the prevailing Ingsoc orthodoxy. Note as you read yesterday's Old Testament selection in the Liturgy of the Hours - Daniel chapter 1- the suppression of personal identity, self-expression and free will that George Orwell uses in his novel to depict totalitarianism. This is a very ancient technique to suppress individual freedom and self-determination. King Nebuchadnezzar used it on Daniel and his three friends. Read what God's Word says: 6 Among these were Daniel, Hanani′ah, Mish′a-el, and Azari′ah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshaz′zar, Hanani′ah he called Shadrach, Mish′a-el he called Meshach, and Azari′ah he called Abed′nego. Daniel means "God is my judge," but Belteshazzar means "Bel protects his life." Bel was a Chaldean variation of the Aramaic Baal, god of thunderstorms. Hananiah means "the Lord shows grace," but Shadrach means "command of Aku (the moon god)." Mishael is a variant of Michael and means "who is like God," but Meshach means "who is like Aku." Azariah means "the Lord is my help," but Abed-nego means "servant of Nebo (god of astrology and literacy)." So the first thing done to break the will of Daniel and his three friends was to change their Godly names to names of demon-gods. The second thing done was to change their diets, making them eat meat from animals which had been sacrificed to these pagan gods. But Daniel and his three friends do not bend to this government-mandated reprogramming, for Scripture records that Daniel says to the eunuch in charge of them: “12 Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s rich food be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants.”  And the end result is that the four of them were stronger and healthier on refusing the government mandate regarding diet than those who obeyed. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s rich food. So my advice to everyone in this day and age of Orwellian word twisting and government mandates on vaccination and wearing masks: resist as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah resisted. Do not comply. God will protect you as He did His servants who remained faithful to him.