Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports...let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
~ George Washington, in what became known as his farewell address, as recorded by Noah Webster
It's the simple truths that continuously astound me. Lying is a sin, and according to Revelation 21, liars go to hell. And yet, we live in a nation where lying is commonplace. No one is surprised that the Obama administration has already reneged on a few of its campaign promises because we don't expect politicians to tell the whole truth. High school girls quickly learn that when a boy says "I'll call you." he doesn't really mean it. A handshake and a firm word no longer mean anything. Hence, we have extensive legal contracts, notarized statements, and lawsuits. And if someone gets caught in a lie, people rant and rave and the accused merely shrugs and says, "Yeah, well..." We have a "refined education" and yet without our adherence to Biblical principles, we have no honesty.
And the same can be said for drunkenness, profanity, adultery, etc and so on. Sometimes I'm still totally appalled and shocked by the things I see. A former classmate of mine recently posted some pics on his Facebook page that made me gasp in horror. And yet when I stop and think, a small part of me understands. His devotion to his gods is based on what meets his needs at any given moment, or what recent family member died and who his main god was. And he has the main family god, and he shuffles them all in accordance with what happens in his life and who other Buddhists favor. In essence, there is no one Supreme Father to guide His steps or light his path. So why should I be surprised to see him succumb to the depths of immorality or perversion?
Since reading David Aikman's biography of George Bush "A Man of Faith", I've really thought a lot about the importance of religion in America. I want America to be a land of the free where people can freely worship whatever way they want. But I also recognize that as more people turn their back on the one true God and the directives he has set forth for us to follow, the more depraved and enslaved our nation will become. The very freedom we value will also be the very freedom that will ultimately do us in. I find it interesting that so many people, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Bush, for starters, rejected the notion that every single word of the Bible is true, and yet all of them recognized its importance and necessity for our nation. I pray that our current calamities will drive us back to our roots, to the wilderness if you will, to the God who lovingly dictates commands for our own good.
Comments