Every culture that has rejected God has turned violent and tyrannical, so one would think we would learn as well. Tragically, most will not. The Scriptures note that, “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God,” (Pslam 9:17). It does appear that as America forgets God, it becomes more and more like Hell, doesn’t it? But it need not end with that! God’s grace and mercy are great and available to all who will come. 

The problem of disbelieving in God is not that a man ends up believing nothing.
Alas, it is much worse. He ends up believing anything.  ~G.K Chesterton

I heard of a gentleman traveling to a third-world country where driving regulations were minimal and police virtually nonexistent. He noted that in terms of road etiquette it was a matter of “he who drives the biggest truck rules.” So it is where God has been rejected. Lawlessness ensues and the strong oppress the weak. It is no coincidence that in all countries of the 20th Century dominated by strident atheists, the citizens were brutally oppressed. However, removing accountability to God leads not only to lawlessness and tyranny, it also produces moral and spiritual blindness, foolish behavior, and hardened hearts.

For the first time in America’s history less than half of its citizens claim to be Christians, according to recent polls. There have always been scorners in America, but until recently they were largely on the fringe of society. Over the past several decades, however, they have gained a foothold both culturally and politically and have launched an assault against God and Christianity that those who are only superficially Christian are unwilling to bear. When Christ explained to His followers, in John chapter six, that there would be a cost in seeking righteousness, many deserted Him then as well. There is often a cost in following Christ, but there is a greater cost in deserting Him.  America, founded upon biblical truth and principles, cannot survive without them.

Atheism, contrary to all claims to the opposite, has neither an inherent morality nor a compulsion to create it. While atheists may develop an ethic, they must borrow it from elsewhere. Their own morality “document” is a blank page. Nations which have discarded God and religion to become atheistic or secular have only three possible sources for a common morality: cultural traditions derived from their religious heritage, a dominant government, or the will of the majority, should they manage to secure some form of democracy.

In any case, there is no reason to assume that the moral standards of that nation will be or will remain ethical. Atheism’s natural antipathy toward God and religion often leads its proponents to reject much of what is derived from them, creating cultures that do not value traditions or principles associated with religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that most nations dominated by atheists have eventually become hostile to human rights. The notion of humans having objective value and thus unalienable rights is sourced exclusively in Christianity. In the rare cases where kings or emperors were toppled and there was no alternative controlling authority, such as religion, anarchy flourished, as in the case of the French Revolution.

The strange notion, propounded by modern atheists, that the burden of proof for the existence of God lies with us, rather with them to prove His non-existence, reminds me of a person viewing a house and nonsensically declaring that it is easier to believe that the house just happened than that it was built by a contractor. Romans chapter one states that from creation we understand God’s “eternal power and godhead.”  The existence of a universe is as certain a proof of God’s existence as a house proves the existence of a builder! Denying God’s existence is not intellectually based. It is spiritual rebellion.

Romans one declares that there comes a time when God runs out of patience with recalcitrant people and turns them over to their own desires, therewith to be enslaved.  They become bound by sin, reckless of its cost, and unable to understand the causes for their suffering. They grow tolerant of any and all deviant and debauched behavior, living without moral restraint; and the only evil in their eyes is that of someone saying “no” to their evil. An example of this is the interaction of a police officer with a lawbreaker. The yelling that often ensues is not from the officer! Nowadays it is the officer who is considered the offender!

Once people reject God they have no objective standard of right and wrong.

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