-Caveat Lector- Entropy In The Western World America's Decline Is Our Responsibility
By: Al Cronkrite My fellow Americans: Those of you who have not been chosen to be Ambassadors for Christ please take a few moments and reflect on the history of the United States of America. Consider the attributes that allowed it to grow mighty and prosperous. Think of the desires of those that fought for its independence and sought to preserve its freedom. Be aware that agreement on a Constitution and a Republican form of government came following difficult rumination by brilliant minds whose awareness of the inhibitions of despotism were fresh and vibrant. Utopian though it may have been, see the vision these men had for an educated, free, and self-governing people that could venture into a peaceful and prosperous future. Those whose hearts have been touched by the ineffable blessing of the Living God consider the basis of righteousness outlined in His Word. Think about the Laws our God gave to Moses. Consider the specific, detailed nature of His Statutes. Be aware that these Statutes were the bulwarks that under-girded our man-made Constitution. Pin point the pre-eminent desire of God for obedience and understand that the obedience God desires is obedience to His Law and that His Law is specifically outlined in His communication with Moses. Look to the Holy Spirit for personal guidance but look to the Law for the conduct of your affairs. Now, for both those who are Christians and those who depend on their own righteousness, look at our National course and understand that our Founders vested responsibility for that course in the hands of citizens. America�s journey is in the hands of voters and the representatives they have elected to conduct the Affairs of State. Jim Nelson Black in a book entitled "When Nations Die" lists ten factors, that contributed to the demise of nations: 1. Increase in lawlessness 2. Loss of economic discipline 3. Rising bureaucracy 4. Decline in education 5. Weakening of cultural foundations 6. Loss of respect for traditions 7. Increase in materialism 8. Rise in immorality 9. Decay of religious belief 10. Devaluing of human life The Greek and Roman civilizations provide case studies. In the beginning ancient Greeks held to a strict code of ethics. Homosexuality was a capital offense. Loyalty, virtue, and self-restraint were ardently pursued. With Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates, they excelled in wisdom. Jim Nelson Black writes, "In ancient Greece, the first symptoms of disorder were a general loss of respect for tradition and the degradation of the young. Among the early symptoms was the decline of art and entertainment. The philosophers and pundits distorted the medium of communication. Rhetoric became combative and intolerant; intellectuals began to deride and attack all the traditional institutions of Hellenic society." Youth were given a voice in society and without the restraints of the old order they became wild and undisciplined. As Greece devolved into homosexuality, lawlessness, and chaos they were conquered by the Romans in 145 BC and the military restored the defeated nation to the rule of law. Ultimately Rome itself followed a similar pattern. Beginning with strong families and sound political structures Romans believed in "duty, honesty, and honor" and in being "earnest, tenacious, well disciplined, frugal, and self-sacrificing". As power, wealth, and lust took over Roman hearts, high taxes, adultery, and homosexuality destroyed families and the nation began to decline. Roman thinker Sallust wrote, "Young men were so depraved by luxury and avarice that no father had a son who could either preserve his own patrimony or keep his hands off other men�s." Following is a cursory evaluation of the condition of our Nation using Jim Nelson Black�s list of fatal deteriorations: 1. Increase in Lawlessness. American jails contain more prisoners than any other nation in the civilized world. Some 3% of our citizens reside in prisons and an additional 3% are entangled in our legal system. Our churches have forsaken Law for Grace, no longer teaching God�s premier desire for obedience, and our political representatives have profaned their oath to uphold the Constitution. We are ruled by criminals. 2. Loss of economic discipline. The National debt is $7,033,115,642,074.33, which amounts to $23,976.94 for every man, woman, and child in America. Taxes are currently five times the amount required by God and the current political Administration is in the process of attempting at the point of a gun to rebuild a nation which our own munitions have destroyed. This, while our own highways deteriorate into chuckholes. 3. Rising Bureaucracy. Our Federal Government is the nations largest employer and its tentacles are involved in almost every phase of American life. Bureaucrats tinker with American families, they nose into private affairs, confiscate our incomes, regulate our churches, control our education, and send our youth off to be killed in foreign wars. 4. Decline in education. Before the advent of public schools the literacy rate in America was over 90%; it is now below 70%. In the link at the beginning of this essay one of the graphs lists American students as 19th in Math and Science, just ahead of Cyprus. Solutions to the constant problems encountered with our public educational systems have consistently made it worse. Charlotte Iserbyt documents this decline in her book "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" 5. Weakening of cultural foundations. Religion is the glue that holds society together. Christianity was the bulwark of America�s heritage. Christianity, accepted as the standard for proper behavior, provided an inner restraint making law enforcement easy and the need for prosecution scant. As a theologically weak and socially useless church has allowed the secular juggernaut to overcome its dominion and our �60s youth with the backing of aberrant college professors have ran roughshod over our culture, our foundations have begun to totter and collapse. 6. Loss of respect for traditions. There can hardly be a more severe assault on tradition or a more heinous debauching of the culture than the current attempt to provide legal marriages for Lesbians and Homosexuals. The rise of homosexuality has always been a harbinger of the fall of nations. Traditional Christianity has been expunged from public life and the virtues of integrity, service, and sacrifice have been replaced with immorality, avarice, and self concern. 7. Increase in materialism. There was an era when medical doctors believed in the Hippocratic Oath and their primary concern was the well being of their patients. It is significant that this Oath had its roots in the Early Greek culture and that its use in America has deteriorated in a similar fashion to the Greek culture. Today, the machine that runs our medical profession is profit. Patients must conform to the practice that will produce the most income for the physician. Wal-Mart, the behemoth of retailing, some time ago successfully squeezed out the sales representatives of their suppliers in order to add their 5% incomes to their corporate profits. With mendacious avarice our elected representatives have voted themselves yearly raises, overly generous retirement, and outstanding healthcare without the consent of their constituents. 8. Rise in immorality. In Islamic nations America is known as "the great Satan". The Internet can produce debauchery of every sort and Hollywood exports it throughout the world. In every grocery checkout isle pictures of debauched, sexually promiscuous individuals leer invitingly for all to see. State governments advertise lotteries deceiving their citizens into losing their money. Venereal disease is rampant and HIV continues its lethal pathway. In America wrong is right and right is wrong. 9. Decay of religious belief. Religion in America is morally useless. With 70% of our population claiming to be Christians our government has declared us a secular nation and moral standards have continued to plunge among both our secular and Christian populations. American religion is a salt that has lost its savor. 10. Devaluing human life. Since our pagan masters on the Supreme Court legalized the murder of unborn babies, American abortion mills have slaughtered over forty million unborn human beings. As the late Mother Theresa so aptly put it, "The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships." In his State of the Union address President Bush declared "the state of our Union has never been stronger". This statement like much of the rhetoric that now abounds appears to approach the height of duplicity. Not only are we in serious jeopardy by each of the Ten Factors of by which Jim Nelson Black measured the decline of Nations but our leaders continue their treasonous quest for world government by allowing our nation to be invaded by foreigners and entangled in international treaties. George Soros intones, "International relations are relations of power, not law; power prevails and law legitimizes what prevails". It is power that characterizes American hubris as it flows across the nation and around the world. Though still perceived as powerful, by every realistic criterion America appears to be lost. Efforts by well-meaning and industrious individuals who comprehend and attempt to stem the decline appear to be futile. The roots of the Nation have been severed, consensus is impossible, righteous leadership is missing, and the institutions that control our destiny are in the hands of secular forces who have both the power and will to enforce their ideas. Wise voters have determined that both the Republican and Democratic parties have been and are, with treasonous intent, leading us into globalism. Globalism is tantamount to the Tower of Babel. God�s dealings with His creation have been with nations and His concerns with globalism are centered on the hubris of men. The pernicious desire to usurp the position of the Creator is ever with us and in our time has enveloped the government and the social order. As the Roman Empire deteriorated, Christians became the objects of hideous persecution and scorn Though we are thoroughly manipulated, Americans can still vote and governmental change is theoretically still possible. The deterrents to change are confused loyalties, a lack of consensus, and the purposeful restriction of choice. Christians, God�s chosen people, should readily discern the deceitful conduct of both major political parties and choose to cast their vote for a righteous organization. Voters whose religious convictions center on their own capabilities might reason their way to a vote for a political party that would restore the Nation to a more successful path. The facts of our national decline are plain and the need for definitive change urgent. There is little doubt that the entire Western World including America with its aspiration for empire is on very shaky ground and could fall at any moment. Votes cast for the Republican or for the Democratic political parties are votes that support the continued deterioration of the nation. A patient with brain cancer cannot be restored by tending to a cut on his finger. America needs new government. Cast you vote against every incumbent, every senator, every congressman, and the President, himself! Published in the February 20, 2004 issue of Ether Zone. Copyright � 1997 - 2004 Ether Zone. ------------------------- -iNFoWaRZ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Christians_List/ www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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