Trust In the Lord

This post is probably one of the hardest I’ve ever had to write. I’ve been thinking about it, off and on, for 9 months.

I’ve got plenty of family and friends who care about me, but wholeheartedly reject my religion. I’m going on record saying that I can care about somebody and disagree with their lifestyle, opinions and choices. I think there’s much more to a person than who they want to sleep with, what substances they use, or what religion they follow. But people are selfish and narcissistic, and sometimes it’s easier for them to just shout “Prejudice! Bigotry!” than actually dealing with the issue. If you really believe in accepting the person as a whole, then you need to read this entire post. I just pray that if you disagree, you can disagree without hate, because I wrote this without any malice or hate. It’s just a simple observation, nothing more.

I’ve basically figured out that modern culture is twisting definitions of things for its own short-term benefit. Equating Acceptance with Approval; redefining Love as something completely sick, twisted, and perverted. I’m going to be brutally honest here, so you can see exactly what’s going on. Phillipians 2:15 says we should live as children of God in a crooked and perverse generation, and this couldn’t be more true than today.

First, the Bible clearly says that the committing of certain acts is a sin… it doesn’t say the temptation is a sin. It goes on to explain how people who trust in Jesus can be freed from those sins. I also don’t expect people who don’t believe the Bible to care, one way or the other. So for religious grounds, it only applies to people of faith. This, sadly, sets the stage for the decline of entire generations.

Second, we can cite several historical examples where disruption of traditional values and the family unit caused irreparable cultural damage, ending rather badly for those societies. Realistically, this started about 50 years ago in America with the large push for sexual freedom, and abandonment of ethics and values. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the massive exodus of women from being homemakers to the workplace, and men disappearing all together, has had a detrimental effect on our nation’s youth.

I can see that the family unit in America is all but destroyed, but I think that’s due to the slippery slope of morality in general, not any specific event. There’s already a huge amount of work to be done to fix American families. Our children are now being raised by TV, morally corrupt public institutions, and their peers. They’re being emotionally crippled, suppressed with medications and quack psychologists. It’s only getting worse, despite massive amounts of data showing how detrimental this is. There has to be a collapse at some point… I just don’t know when.

Thirdly, the problem of a slippery slope argument, as far as what is accepted as normal and deviant in society. People will say “Society changes!” and there is valid argument there. Now, hear me out: if a small minority of people insist on their particular behavior being normalized/legalized, and they’re vocal enough, then other groups will follow suit even if they don’t understand the problems behind it. This can easily lead to abuse of the system (and a vast majority would argue it already has, see: euthanasia and abortion). At some point you have to draw the line, otherwise we will, and have already, legalized and normalized some rather horrific things.

Now, you can’t realistically argue that the slippery slope doesn’t exist. The question is where to draw the line, and naturally people are going to want the line moved as little as possible, as long as they’re on what they think is the right side of it. You can disagree where the line is to be drawn, but you can’t reasonably say anybody can do anything they want. There has to be a standard somewhere.

Fourth, there’s the argument that the process of doing whatever you want is weakening the reasons for having morality, ethics, and laws in the first place.

It wasn’t until recently that marriages were proposed strictly on feelings. For millennia, it was understood that the purpose of a marriage was to find a strong, able, well-connected mate that would further your chances at raising a successful family. If you loved your spouse, that was a bonus… not a requirement. In India, China, and other countries, they still practice arranged marriages based on the family’s wealth, education, and social status. The purpose is to strengthen the family unit, and protect the family so they can focus on that goal. Feelings are considered only after the fact.

Today, marriage in the U.S. has been been watered down to where it no longer has any meaning. This is obvious with today’s divorce rate, because if you only marry to “be happy” then when you’re not happy anymore, it’s over. This is not only extremely damaging to individuals and society as a whole, but emotionally crippling for the children unlucky enough to be raised in homes like that. They are silent victims of a society that doesn’t want them in the way, and can’t be bothered.

The truth is, I care very much about the family unit as a whole. I am willing to put my neck on the line to protect the family unit, because I believe the traditional family unit is essential to the future of a society. You may not agree, but history and science have repeatedly borne this out. And honestly, it doesn’t matter if you agree; either it is or it isn’t, and I’m willing to bet it is.

I understand people want special treatment, but there’s no waffling in the Bible. God has standards of conduct, and He expects them to be followed. You disobey God at your own risk.

“I don’t believe in God!” you might say. But it doesn’t change the fact that God’s plan is what works best, and history has shown this repeatedly, even if you don’t subscribe to the origin of it.

Why are we as a society so willing to throw tradition to the wind for the sake of feelings, when it is proven to corrode the very structure of society from the inside out? What is wrong with falling on the side of caution? Are we willing to bet the very future of our country on people’s feelings?

I don’t like the direction the country as a whole is taking, and I understand that ignorant people will continue to drive it into the ground for the sake of misplaced notions and hurt feelings. I think we should grow up, and realize that life’s not fair, because we’re not fair. We can’t decide predictably from one day to the next, so we shouldn’t base our society’s future on “because it feels good.”

I am simply waiting for the inevitable. In light of the moral decline and bankruptcy in America over the last 50 years, it’s not a matter of “if” things will break down, it’s only a matter of “when.” We’ve already decimated the reproduction rate out of convenience. We’ve crippled the reproduction process by by punishing traditionalists, and allowing anything and everything to replace meaningful, stable family units and home life.

Our country is eating itself from the inside out. At some point, it will be too weak to support its own weight, and collapse will be imminent.

I have no reason to spew hatred, because I don’t hate people. Since I started following Jesus, I’ve had no reason to hate anyone. They are simply the product of their corrupted natures, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I can’t expect them to do anything else; it’s what I did when I was in their shoes.

So no, I’m not surprised. Not shocked, not really upset. Just kind of sad that we, as a country, have chosen this path to go down. It started a long time ago… and this won’t be the last we see of it, either.

I’ll continue to speak truth in love. But I’m not looking forward to what the future of America holds if this is how we’re going to get there. But ultimately, I know God will bring people through it. He did it for believers during the Egyptian exile, the Babylonian occupation, persecution from the Roman Empire, and many, many other times. It’s cyclical. Yes, it’s undeniably true that our nation is heading in a downward spiral.

But the beauty is that God can and will continue to bring people to Him in spite of adversity. How do I know this? Because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, in my own life.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.

-Psalm 3:5-8