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If America Falls
by Jim Schicatano If the unthinkable someday happens and America falls, future historians will debate the many causes. Here is what I believe will be some of them. If America falls, it will be because we believe we are immune from God's judgement simply because we are American. today we place ourselves first, when we used to regard ourselves under God, family, friends, and country. God was a Creator whom we once held in fearful reverence, but today is increasingly regarded as a best buddy, a celestial Santa Claus, or a personal servant. we are removing all mention of God from the public square, and replacing it primarily with empty secular rhetoric. our Founding Fathers read publicly from the Bible, yet today zoning codes in some communities make it illegal to study the Bible, even in the privacy of one's own home. reading the Bible is becoming a sign of political extremism. our leaders mention God in public either to push a political agenda or to ask for His blessings, and not to give Him thanks. "separation of church and state" means something very different today than what our Founders envisioned. art that merely depicts Mohammed is branded as hateful and intolerant, but when Christians complain about art that degrades Jesus, it is they who are declared hateful and intolerant. there are calls for tolerance towards every group of people in our society except evangelical Christians. to believe in a Higher Deity is considered superstitious and ignorant, but to accept and espouse the latest politically correct fad is the pinnacle of enlightenment. we now place personal and political opinions over God, religion, and our faith. we are increasingly confining the freedom of religion to the four walls of our places of worship. we choose to accept what is personally convenient, and not time-tested Biblical truths. we seek God only as a last refuge, and not in daily prayer. to believe that God had a hand in our creation is considered to be faith and not science, but to believe that life arose from lifelessness and an entire universe came from nothingness is science and not faith. we argue whether the stories in the Bible are factual or fictional accounts, while ignoring their timeless messages of morals and wisdom. we believe that God's greatest desire for us is to be happy. Yet, in the book of Micah, it is written that God requires us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Personal happiness has now trumped God's will. if the Old Testament prophets were alive today, is there any doubt they would be shouted down at universities, ridiculed by Hollywood, and denigrated by the media? And what does that tell us about the nature of the prophets' critics? we believe that Deuteronomy 8 applies only to the Hebrews of the Bible, and not to every country that God ever blessed the foremost of which is America. to submit to God in humility is considered a weakness, but to boast and elevate oneself is a trait that society admires. we have evolved from a people with the spirit of thanksgiving to a people of ingratitude, demanding more from government, family, and friends. we used to count our own blessings, and now we are more concerned with our neighbor's blessings. our prayers used to consist of contrition and requests for guidance, serenity, and acceptance, but today our prayers focus on requests for wealth, God's favor, advancement, and material possessions. preachers increasingly preach what is popular and acceptable, and not what is Biblical. church leaders appear to prefer fame and money to teaching the gospel and leading a Godly congregation. too many preachers have incorporated positive thinking into a religion that grants our every wish. there seem to be as many sermons about the evil of Satan as the goodness of God. people criticize and discuss the inadequacies of the Bible without studying it. We no longer understand that truth comes from insight. the Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Yet, both politicians and the clergy stress the need for money to solve all kinds of problems. the love of money is still the root of all sorts of evil, and we are a society in love with money. although an idol may be made of precious metals or polished stones, it takes the form of anything that we value over God. Consequently, we are a people with many idols. society pressures churches to change their morals to adapt secular standards. But do Biblical morals ever really change? our society views the Bible as an ancient relic of ignorance, religion as the source of problems and not the solution, and Biblical values as antiquated. sermons focus more about heaven than hell, God's grace but not our sins, His love but not His judgment, and His promises but not His commandments. critics snicker at the mention of the God of the Bible, yet take seriously talk of "Mother Earth" and other New Age gods. the Judeo-Christian values that helped guide our country have been relegated to personal opinion, disregarded by the masses, and denigrated by the elite. Consequently, moral clarity no longer exists, and confusion, discontentment, narcissism, and even self-worship replaced it. Any society that places itself above God is headed for a fall. ----- The Soup of Life has been a lifetime in the making. For decades I followed religious, political, and cultural issues, and their impact on our society and our lives. Now it is time to share the thoughts that I formed through the years. Please subscribe to my website: www.thesoupoflife.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |