Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Order vs. Anarchy: The Ten Commandments (Part 3)

Some of you may have questioned what I wrote in earlier posts, that anarchy and chaos will result if a society does not observe the Ten Commandments. Of course it’s not really about the Ten Commandments, but about a relationship with God. Out of that relationship comes observance of the first four commandments. Out of that relationship with God and observance of the first four come observance of the last six, with the result being a better and more humane society. – not a perfect society but one that is more just, fairer, and more caring.

Despite this, there are those who are working hard to eliminate God from American life, using a gross misinterpretation of the Constitution as its weapon. As a result of this progressive elimination of God, American society has deteriorated. If you don’t think there’s a correlation, look at life in the 1940s and 1950s compared to life today.

If you don’t believe our society could get worse, look at Germany. That country was the most cultured in Europe: music, opera, art, literature, cinema. Before World War II it was a leading scientific research center. Most scientists elsewhere had to learn German so they could read the research papers coming out of Germany. German theologians were at the forefront of biblical and theological studies. Their academic works have an influence on theology to this day.

How could such a “highly evolved” society deteriorate so quickly? How could someone like Hitler gain such influence on a people brought up in a Christian, tolerant, and cultured milieu? I suspect at least some of the problem was that religion in Germany had become cold, stale, and uninspiring. The liberal theology coming out of the universities left pastors confused and skeptical. How can you effectively preach when you aren’t sure what you believe yourself? So German society deteriorated, decadence set in, and many of the people took their eyes off God. In doing so, Hitler became their god. We can’t let the true God be eliminated from our public consciousness.

No comments: