The State of the West

Note the following from Pat Robinson

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote:

"You seem to think that the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of constitutional interpretation, a very dangerous doctrine indeed and one that would place us under the tyranny of an oligarchy."

How wise Jefferson was. Yet even Jefferson could not have foreseen what the Supreme Court has done to the Constitution of the United States since 1962. Just think what five un-elected judges have done to our nation's moral framework.

In 1962, they ruled prayer out of the public schools.

In 1963, they ruled the Bible out of public schools.

In 1973, they applied a "right of privacy" not found in the Constitution as the basis for opening the door to the slaughter of more than 43,000,000 innocent unborn children.

Subsequent federal courts have ruled the Ten Commandments were illegal in schools, that statues of Jesus were illegal in public parks, that prayers on a map in North Carolina were illegal, and that it was illegal for little elementary school children to give thanks over their milk and cookies at snack time.

Now, the Supreme Court has declared a constitutional right to consensual sodomy and, by the language in its decision, has opened the door to homosexual marriages, bigamy, legalized prostitution, and even incest.

The framers of our Constitution never intended anything like this to take place in our land. Yet we seem to be helpless to do anything about it. Why? Because we are under the tyranny of a non-elected oligarchy. Just think, five un-elected men and women who serve for life can change the moral fabric of our nation and take away the protections which our elected legislators have wisely put in place.

But there is a higher tribunal than the United States Supreme Court. There is the Judge of all the earth. We must earnestly come before Him now and cry out for redress of our grievances. He loves America as much as we do, and He does not wish to destroy it. But no culture has ever endured which has turned openly to homosexuality. And no society has ever been spared the wrath of God which has been guilt of slaughtering tens of millions of the innocent.

Alistair Cooke [ US resident British born broadcaster] in a recent ABC ‘letter’ from America comments:— " National problems are not to be found basically in economic failures but in moral decay illustrated by various symptoms of cultural breakdown such as the abuse of liberty, the failure of any courts to define or constrain obscenity, the decline of public manners, freakishness in art, entertainment masquerading as originality and enthusiasm pretending to vitality."

Examining the downfall of the Grecian society Alexander F. Tyler, at the end of the 18th century authored a study– "The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic." Its message sends a chilly warning down the back-bone of the Western world. He learned that most ancient civilisations waned under the influence of common selfishness in human hearts. Moreover, he also observed that few of the world’s largest civilisations ever lasted much beyond 200 years. He noted that Empires and Nations always seemed to progress through the following sequences:–

• 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 dependency,

• From dependency back to bondage.

Referring to another great historian, Edward Gibbon and his 1776 mammoth tome:– "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", five particular attributes marked the end of Rome. They were:–

1. a mounting love of luxury (i.e.. affluence),

2. a widening gap between the very rich and poor,

3. an obsession with sex,

4. freakishness in the arts (masquerading as originality),

5. an increased desire to live off the state.

One does not have to use much imagination to observe the obvious parallels between this list and the patterns of behaviour rampant in our own communities.

Another well known historian Arnold Toynbee asserts that:– " When a ‘creative minority’ that gives leadership and ideas to the nation begins to lose its influence and becomes an oppressed minority the nation invariably enters a time of troubles." The association of this term with those New Testament book of Revelation is not accidental and the consequences are likely to be much the same.

And Further Sir John Grubb, a more recent historian, has observed from an examination of nations and empires covering over 3000 years that they each seem to follow a cyclic pattern. Rising to power and affluence followed by precipitous collapse. Summarised in the following stages:–

• period of pioneering and establishment,

• conquest,

• development and commerce,

• rising affluence and intellectualism,

• expanding education,

• decadence and decay.

Grubb characterised the ‘Age of Decadence’, immediately preceding the collapse of many great civilisations, after too long a period of wealth and power, as resulting from:–

1. a love of money,

2. individual selfishness and

3. the loss of national pride or duty.

He reflected on the Western world (and we might well include contemporary Australia) suggesting that Age of Decadence could be codified by:–

• defensiveness,

• pessimism,

• materialism,

• frivolity and pleasure, obsession with sex,

• multiculturalism (the influx of foreigners),

• growth of the welfare state,

• failure or weakening of religion.

One thing we learn from history is that we rarely learn anything .

We learn about it but seldom from it.

Where are we at as a Civilisation?????