There is a widely held perception that problems within the American economy is due to problems in the nation's politics. That perception is incorrect. The problem is within the American people. There are conflicts within and among our religious faiths, our rights and our sense of societal responsibility.
Never before in my lifetime have I heard those who either hold or seek political positions pitting themselves--and those with wealth and power--against those who are the least fortunate within our society for reasons beyond their control. Were it left to these conservatives, handicapped American would again be begging in the public square, and Republican politicians would be demanding that they pay taxes on the alms they receive. Too many preachers have become so wealthy themselves that they have forgotten who sent them to preach, they have forgotten Jesus' saying that whatsoever is done to the "least of these" being done to Him.
The Bible teaches that people cannot learn the ways of Christianity without preachers who have been sent, Rom 10:11-14. But preachers don't preach anymore about the rich man, the camel and the eye of the needle. And because they no longer preach an uncompromising gospel, greed and corruption not only flourish but are perceived to be all right.
Churches have become more likely than not to be aligned with liars and cheats. And when Christians, liars and deceivers become teammates, and the church no longer criticizes the rich for robbing the poor, our politics can't improve, and America becomes a model for mistreating the powerless. Were it left to some conservative politicians, blind and the handicapped Americans would be back on the streets begging for handouts, and forced to pay taxes on their alms. They have less confidence in a Democratic president who is a Christian than in a Republican one who may not be. It's hard to be sure why or when this corruption of the American spirit began, but the following likely have been contributing factors.
Blue laws were established to prevent competitors of Christian businesses from being able to sell while Christians businesses were observing the Sabbath. However, the Blue laws allowed Christians to work on the Sabbath of Jews and muslims, which is Saturday. Overturning the Blue laws was the right thing to do. The problem is the likely effect on the attitudes of Christians toward the significance of the Sabbath. When a significant number of people of the dominant religion of any nation loses respect for some symbols associated with their faith, there is a greater tendency for them to lose respect for similar symbols and behaviors as well.
Consequently, we have seen substantially less emphasis on Christmas and more on holidays, in justified recognition of other celebrations that also occur during the Christmas season. But concurrent celebrations do not necessitate ignoring the religious significance of the season. Doing so, though, desensitizes Christians to the significance of the birth and life of Jesus, and reduces the impact of faith on moral judgement and personal behavior, which along with the pursuit of wealth and political power are the two things that exercise the most influence of personal behavior within a society.
Religion influences both personal behavior and individual attitudes concerning wealth, power and economic fairness. The desire for as much wealth and power as possible too often proceed along paths that are contrary to the fundamental teaching of most religions.
The general acceptance of obscenity in literature and entertainment as "free speech" is hardly what the Framers of the Constitution had it mind as protected speech. The quest for wealth by any means necessary is allowed to trump moral beliefs about proper behavior. Those who quote the Declarations of Independence with respect to our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness don't find much of importance in the part which says that "all men were created equal," meaning being of equal worth and deserving of equal consideration.
Approval of abortions by liberals and continued approval of the death penalty by conservatives, despite DNA testing showing many of those sentenced to death to be innocent, narrow the gap between the behaviors of Christians and those of many Americans who have no religious faith.
And unfortunately we are becoming better at it. There is no way that the most wealthy and powerful Americans can have unlimited access to the nation's wealth and still leave enough wealth for those at the bottom--and those in the middle heading for the bottom--to survive. We on the verge of greed-induced genocide, where those at the bottom either die of malnutrition and poor health care, or kill each other in an attempt to survive.
But this could not happen in a predominately Christian nation until Christians first became desensitized to profanity, obscenity, nudity, sexual promiscuity, deteriorating family structures, until Christians first became void of compassion for each other by reducing passion for their religious faiths and their desire to have religion impact their lives by guiding their judgement and behavior. Even China is attempting to protect its culture from the worldly ways of the West,
The rights of women to not be stay-at-home moms, the behavior of men that have driven women to seek independence, and the rights of gays and lesbians to marry are rights to which they are entitled. But dad at home with young children is not the same as mom being there. And out-sourcing care is worse, except where the mother resents staying at home enough to be a threat to the children.
And how do heterosexual children respond to seeing homosexual couples kiss and make love in movies and on television? Do they know the difference between homosexual and heterosexual individuals at young ages? Might they not come to feel that kissing, making love and marrying heterosexual individuals of the same gender is acceptable? It's hard to see how these behaviors can contribute to a stronger, long lasting society of the nature we have known. However, can--or should--a person feel a greater responsibility to the future of the society than to the fulfillments and gratifications of personal needs and desires?
Whereas laws and interpretations of the Constitution grant and protect our personal rights and religion serves to guide our personal lives, better politics will require better homes and better informed family members. And all will be impacted by the influence of religion--or by the lack of it.
