LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW

To the Editor:

Ah, the answer to human kind's "sin" nature! The "freedom" to do whatever one wants without the confrontation of another personal moral viewpoint. This is what 40 years of moral revolution have won for "us."

Gone are the Judeo/Christian laws that stood in the way of our right of self-fulfilling freedom. You remember those ancient moral absolutes that the majority of society agreed upon. Like...

National acknowledgement of God, national dependence of God, school prayer, respect of elders, family, teachers, clergy, authority figures, each other and Heaven forbid even politicians.

Sexual abstinence until marriage and discouragement of divorce.

Sanctity of all human life and laws prohibiting abortion and euthanasia.

Public decency requirements as to lack of dress and personal actions in entertainment and everyday living.

Public denouncement of drugs, high priority on work ethic and personal responsibility of family and self.

Laws against unethical business practices and consumer fraud.

Acknowledgment of the foolishness of "getting something for nothing".

(The Gambler's creed.)

The Ten Commandments and many others our society has discarded.

Isn't that great? This is what our country's founders desired when they designed our constitution and fought the revolutionary war. What we have fought two world wars and a cold war to preserve. Yes, it was all for unlimited freedom.

Let's hear it for "pro-choice," "do your own thing," "don't tell me what to do," and the ever-popular "don't cram your religion down my throat! But you have to accept me, agree with me and teach your children my way."

This is the new age we are living. "I have the right to do whatever I want and nobody has the right to stop me." (Unless I break one of the new politically correct non-moral belief system laws.)

There's just a few things I'm having a problem with. Everyone seems to like this freedom but our country seems to be getting worse instead of better. I know this is just coincidental but in each area where we have changed a Biblical principle law, the crime/sin rates have increased. Strange isn't it?

Plus many of the new generation are missing the ideal of our "new freedom." They can't understand our hypocritical "limits" we put on our unlimited freedom. Without a basis of morals to judge morality, they find it meaningless to have morals. Even though "we" cherish these unlimited immoral freedom's, our conscience still hearkens to an ancient Judeo-Christian sense of morals which gives us a basis of how far is too far. But since we made the public teaching of these morals a crime, each new generation will lack a truth-based understanding of right and wrong and no understanding of the consequences of living without these societal checks. In other words the future society will gain all of the new immoral freedoms we have now plus the immoral activities which we deem uncivilized.

Isn't this what we are already experiencing all around the country. Just listen to the news:

-- Citizens shoot tourist in a state where economy is based on tourism.

-- Inner city murder rate rising with age of killer and victim dropping. Increasing numbers of teen and pre-teen drug and gang related murders as well as car-jacking, drive-by and senseless killing.

-- Dope, handguns and condoms make up the back to school supplies in many public schools.

-- Over 90 percent of all abortions are for contraceptive purposes only. Sexually transmitted diseases at epidemic proportion.

-- Political, business and even church ethics at all time lows.

-- National acceptance of all forms of gambling with the false promise of long term economic growth and large increases in tax money.

Etc. Etc. ...

I believe that America today is gambling with the future of our country and that the odds of "winning" a "profitable" future without Godly morals is zero percent.

I also believe Cape Girardeau is gambling with its future by turning its back on the Godly principles that have been around since its beginning. I am convinced that we are already beginning to "reap what we have sown."

-- A murder rate higher than any previous year.

-- Fifteen-year-old girl shot.

-- Five young men with semi-automatic weapons rob Pizza Hut.

-- Drugs being dealt in broad daylight at one of our parks.

-- Handgun and drugs confiscated from students.

-- Judge impressed by number of drug-related arrests made.

-- Savings and loan scandal and prominent bank goes under because of lack of ethics.

-- Pornography being sold in our stores, rented in our video stores and provided by our hotels plus local TV station considering showing nudity on prime time.

-- Homosexuals prevalent in promoting their "lifestyle."

-- Child abuse caseload unreasonable.

How can we as Christians not take a stand against the ungodliness that is at the root of all these problems?

How can we "churchgoers" promote and vote for non-biblical ideals knowing the eventual outcome?

As I have stated before, none of this is news to us. We have heard it from the major networks, our local stations repeat it, city and county newspapers fill us in on details, we talk to each other about it and shake our heads in astonishment!

Isn't it time we acted upon our faith and the truth of God's Word?

It may be the only way of keeping a clear conscience.

Bruce Collier

Cape Girardeau