Over the last 15 years, Americans have made a “startling” move to the left, according to Susan Brown of GOPUSA, which is not affiliated with the Republican Party. Blaming the church for the leftward move is the easy answer, she said, “but today, where black and white has faded into varying shades of gray, we are better served by going back to where it began…”
Brown blames America’s moral decline on “progressive” Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). “Their arrogant defiance and blatant hostility toward the U.S. Constitution inspired them to lead an insurrection from the Oval Office, effectively convincing good people that government dependence is a morally acceptable alternative to dependence on God, family, community and self.”
FDR, Brown said, made the U.S. government into a “pseudo-god” by creating a welfare state and interpreted the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution as having a “wall of separation” between church and state. This in turn opened the door for secular forces to remove religion out of the Public Square and “separate morality and ethics from government and daily life.”
Citing a Pew survey, Brown says that Christianity is in decline and mainstream denominations have “dimmed their own bulbs in recent years to remain relevant to the demands of pop culture.” In the process they have lost large numbers of their membership.
Brown then concludes her article by saying, “the only way progressivism wins is without the presence of absolute truth. Without it, morality is defined by ever-changing social whims; what’s wrong today is right tomorrow. Truth is, it’s impossible to define morality without a plumb line or divine standard. Wandering outside already-established boundaries since the beginning of time gets us where we are today. History demonstrates it. Polls prove it Empty pews show it. Progressives love it.”
Brown’s underlying message places the blame on secular or progressive leaders and culture and a departure from biblical or “divine” norms. While it is true that progressives have pushed hard at America’s cultural infrastructure, the underlying problem is that the churches have refused to teach and follow the divine standard, the Ten Commandments. They have compromised with progressives. Now they have no foundation to call for individual and personal loyalty to God’s law. Instead they have to resort to legal means.
Yes, there is hostility to the U.S. Constitution and in particular the first amendment. Progressives misuse the “wall of separation” to remove all religion from public life, which was not intended by the framers. A reaction is developing that will go to the other extreme by increasing the influence of the churches on government.
Eventually, by popular demand, lawmakers will establish religious laws to support the legal establishment of Christianity as the religion of the nation. Removing the “separation of church and state” has only one destination, the establishment of national religion and worship.
“The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’”
Revelation 12:17. Great Controversy, page 592
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