Eminent historians have tracked or made observations about moral levels of general society. Gibbon saw Rome’s moral failure as one of the causes for decline of the empire. The new religion, called Christianity, was presumed by many to be the refuge to recovery. In their multiple volumes of the history of the world the Durants, Will and Ariel, included much of the impact of Christianity on history, and Arnold Toynbee contributed objectively in his observations. They saw both the good and the hypocrisies of religions. Adaptations subscribed through the centuries by some nations, were not in spiritual redemptive roles so much as in the humanistic adoption of some of the morals and values espoused in the Christian religion. Humanism (without chosen relationship with God in personal relationship) of the citizenry holds varied uses, interpretations, and effectiveness. Christianity has its meaning in spiritual redemption of persons in Christ, and a natural application in righteousness (right) that leads to effective personal and social life for our mortal years. In this spiritual/social combination is found unity, effectiveness, peace, approval, idealism for nations. Nations may, without the redemptive gospel of Jesus Christ, choose to follow the application of Christian ideals (christianly, perhaps hypocritically), without God in the process, which will be amended (diluted) by mankind along the years and may lose force in social management.
Currently the American society is facing problems in holding to some of its historic Christian ideals. The newspaper featured on the front page an article entitled: Selling Sex with the subtitle. Has showbiz gone too far? The sub-title on the continuing page is: It’s shocking how far celebs must go to shock us. The article included the following statement after describing a number of currently raunchy, even bizarre, public performances of entertainment persons – mostly related to women for mostly a male audience. From the time of Marilyn Monroe as a sex kitten we have now arrived at: . . . new lower and raunchier levels and debate has erupted over this new ‘soft porn’ normal, not just among pundits and parents, but within the industry itself. The point is that society slides down the slippery slope it made for itself, and that the citizenry in general is troubled by it, but does not know how to address it. There may be again, the decline of nations with new beginnings – something hard to do since land frontiers are no longer available. In the Victorian past suggestive thoughts and conducts were modest by today’s prevailing standards, and even then often deplored by most women engaged in it. They excused their participation by pointing to the income it generated for them. The carnal industries involve an enormous financial exchange running into multiple billions of dollars. The question is raised, why do thoughtful human beings cultivate the increasing raunchier, carnal, debilitating, distracting industries that have so poor a record in the ideals, health, legal, and social obligations that human beings owe to each other? These factors exist even if there is no spiritual context included in the consideration of what is happening to human beings – especially to those who fall for the appeals of destructive behaviors. There is large evidence for the above assertions.
It may be surprising to the general public, but the world has never had it so good. Any reading of factual history informs us of the miseries faced by the general public as the norm of life that has prevailed until the improvements of recent centuries were begun. The life of the masses of people was in poverty, constant control by the military, repeated wars, heavy taxes, few effective rights, and the story is extensive. Our current situation shifts the blame somewhat from the persons of power to the accepted conduct of the masses of citizens who fail to take responsibility for balanced society, for models to children, for integration of families, for environments and known duties. Both public and leaders are guilty. We can make a balanced and generally fulfilled life in God’s common grace without honoring God, if the world is all we want or believe in. We seem not to have the integrity to make that work, but it could to our deaths if we gave ourselves to it. Christians have an increased benefit that makes all the difference in spiritual grace. Good or ill, no matter what the present world has to offer, there is the kingdom of God to be gained. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020