"Read the histories of civilizations. You can tell a society is nearing its ultimate collapse when it is consumed with comfort, pleasure, and entertainment, when it no longer feels it needs anything from God, the Creator. For the Greeks, Romans, Incas, Aztecs, and soon perhaps Western civilization, the path has been the same."What if he's right?
From the same page:
"In our society, when a guy who flips a basketball through a ten-foot hoop can make as much money in three hours as a schoolteacher, who is shaping the lives of the next generation, does in a year, something is horribly wrong with our values."Two young men had an interesting discussion before my membership class began on Sunday. They go to different high schools in our area and spoke of international students studying at their schools. These international students make fun of the curriculum here. In comparing it to studies in their home nations, they describe our curriculum as being ridiculously easy!
Hmmm...
Stafford observes that we damage our children by not allowing them to make a meaningful contribution to family life. He explains that in African culture, even the youngest children are expected to gather kindling for the fires. Older children protect the fields from marauding monkeys and other animals that could quickly wipe out the anticipated crop.
He hints that by "protecting" our children from "work", we bring them to young adulthood completely ill-equiped to survive!
There are clear signals that ours is indeed a civilization in rapid decline.
Many place confidence in our government to rescue us from this decline - "This next election will solve all our problems!" Yet, unbridled government spending and a lack of courage and cooperation to make essential cuts leaves us with a nagging, national sense of peril.
Where is the hope? How do we change our course?
Stafford points us in right directions! We were not given wealth, freedom, knowledge, and influence for our own benefit. We are postioned to make a massive difference in our world! We are missing God's intended role for us!
In Sunday School, (as a child) I was taught that you attain JOY by putting Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last!
Part of your blog reminded me of a quote, of which the origin's attribution is a little sketchy, but the words are nonetheless sound and all the more frightening due to their apparent truth: "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 selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage."
ReplyDeleteI feel like parts of the nation have already moved completely to the dependence stage wanting the government to solve all their problems and "give them what they are entitled to" and the remainder are in so many varying degrees that even they will be pulled down by the sinking ship unless there is a radical change.
This also led me to another: "The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism', they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." --Norman Thomas, former U.S. Socialist Party Presidential Candidate
But then there's always this one that gives me the greatest hope: 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
However, the most frightening thing is . . . does this quote lead us back to the first one and the original problem of apathy?
~ Jen
Good thoughts, Jennifer. I've seen the first and last quotes, but the one by Thomas was new to me. I think he's right! I try to fight my discouragement about our nation, but it's an uphill battle! I don't worry so much about myself; however I believe my kids and grandkids will face untold sorrow and suffering. That truly makes me sad. My only hope is in a spiritual renewal, but a lukewarm church is not a likely catalyst for a national revival!
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