Backlash Has Begun

“This is America.... It’ll never happen here!” This oft repeated mantra is a denial of a changing country. The Jewish people vocalized a similar numbing chant: “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord” (Jeremiah 7:4), when Jeremiah warned of imminent destruction. Their mantra denied reality, and over a million lost their lives.

Historically, a democratic form of government has built into its infrastructure the seeds for destruction. Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian, wrote around 1750:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From Bondage to spiritual faith;

From spiritual faith to great courage;

From courage to liberty;

From liberty to abundance;

From abundance to complacency;

From complacency to apathy;

From apathy to dependence;

From dependence back into bondage.”

Since the early 1960’s, America has undergone a series of radical changes. Each has culturally fed upon its past and suggests that we are nearing a time of bondage.

•    Civil rights movement (beginning of citizen’s “rights” ideology)

•    Flower children (“peace”) revolution (beginning of rejection of established values,     order, church, government)

•    Idolization of hedonism via the entertainment industry (beginning of a sensual  revolution)

•    Citizen’s movements toward special group “rights,” which now encompasses homosexual privileges (this has evolved into the beginnings of sex education in the schools, which is now explicit) and the rights of illegal aliens

•    Growing anti-Christian sentiments, often supported by the courts (beginning of cultural and political hate). Ministers are restrained from sharing some topics behind the pulpit)

•    Between dependency and bondage comes blame. Everyone blames “the other “guy.” We are at the last step before national ruin.

The past 40 years has seen the erosion of many Constitutional Amendment guarantees:

1.    The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

• Political speech in a worship setting could lead to loss of tax exempt status by a                                           church.

     • Anti-gay preaching is frowned upon and is now illegal in Canada.

     • Politically incorrect words or phrases are seen as “insensitive” or “intolerant.”

2. The Fourth Amendment guarantee of property rights is essentially dead. Land is being seized through eminent domain laws – with limited judicial recourse. The Supreme Court has upheld the government’s right to do this.

3. The Fifth Amendment, guaranteeing a citizen against double-jeopardy, is fragmenting. A person can be punished for the same crime at the federal level and the state level. Plus, local municipalities can seize assets through “civil” proceedings.

4. The Tenth Amendment designates all power to the states except those specifically designated to the federal government. The latter has entered every domain down to home and child care. The states get funds from the Feds by “complying with federal mandates” – from education to environmental project.” States are manipulated by federal power.

Other areas are affecting the liberties of this nation. This includes (1) international treaties (many oppressive ones are pending within the United Nations), (2) regulations (administrative law) by governmental agencies and (3) executive orders (the latter could split families, relocate citizens, seize anything and control everything).

Things seem to be going well. The stock market is soaring, people have freedom to move about, almost everyone has a cell phone and computers are in the majority of homes. Food is abundant and fashion beckons frequent change of wardrobes.

Yet, morally, deceit is rampant in society and politics. An era of “it’s your fault” or “he’s to blame” has come into America. Babies not yet born continue to be murdered. New York City alone has more recorded crimes annually than England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark combined.

In addition, the elementary and secondary education achievement scores are now near the bottom in the world. There is a growing coarseness, callousness, cynicism and vulgarity that signals the decivilization of this country.¹

There are no major marches, rallies or flag-waving from concerned Americans, but a backlash is developing. A growing movement in the “Christian Right” envisions transforming America back to a Christian nation.

One example is Dr. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Ministry in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He conducts annual political training conferences called Reclaiming America for Christ. A growing number of voices are speaking out against the separation of church and state. They perceive that that was never implicated in the Constitution. Dr. Kennedy calls that wall of separation a “great deception [that] has been used to destroy much of the religious freedom and liberty this country has enjoyed.”²

Though blinded to the consequences of their own spiritual leadership, much of the blame for societal corruption must be laid at their feet.

“The doctrine that men are released from obedience to the divine precepts, has weakened the force of moral obligation and opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness, dissipation, and corruption are sweeping in like an overwhelming flood. Everywhere are seen envy, evil surmising, hypocrisy, estrangement, emulation, strife, betrayal of sacred trusts, indulgence of lust. The whole system of religious principles and doctrines, which should form the foundation and framework of social life, seems to be a tottering mass, ready to fall in ruins.”³

There was recently (May 7, 2006) an attempt to re-energize the moral principles of the Decalogue by declaring a National Ten Commandment Day. Jewish, Catholic and Protestant leaders signed onto a coalition to make this day a revitalized moral stimulus to America. All evidence at this writing suggests that it failed. But it will return.

Law and order will be deemed contained if there are moral restraints set up based on that Decalogue. Though the last six precepts govern man’s interpersonal behavior, the zeal of ministers and governments to influence society through the government will step into the realm of the first four.⁴

Christian political activism is following a fascinating path:

1.  Moral outcry

2.  Large conventions where “moral” political leaders are invited to speak

3.  Training Christians to be politically involved

4.  Influencing moral legislation, such as the ability to speak out politically in church

5.  Finally – the only remaining step – pressuring legislators to legislate moral

     behavior, especially by honoring a worship day. That falls on the left “table” of the

     Decalogue! The solution then will be worse than the problem.

The intensity for action builds. Elections of 2006 and 2008 will likely be morally pivotal.

References:

¹www.khouse.org/articles/2000/293

²Crusader for a Christian nation, Bill Berkowitz, www.workingforchange.com

³Prophets and Kings, p. 624.

⁴The Great Controversy, p. 592.