"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jeremiah 6:16, KJV). It seems to this writer, that every generation desires to remold society in a new image. Our new president campaigned on a theme of "change." What does all this mean to citizens, and more especially to those who are religious today?
There is absolutely no doubt but that this nation was founded on the principles of the Bible. Today they are generally called the Judeo-Christian model. Our first amendment says in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Basically all that says is that our nation will have no "state" religion that is authorized to the exclusion of all others. That being said, it is obvious that the founding forefathers respected and for the most part, agreed with the principles of the Bible. Many quotations are found even in their personal correspondence. We used to hear about the "Protestant Work Ethic." Not much has been said recently about that. Socialism was attempted in some of the early colonies, but did not work because it took away any incentive to work. The New Testament clearly teaches: "If any will not work, neither let him eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Nearly every person can be trained to work at something, even the handicapped, mentally or physically!
Why today should we leave those "Old Paths" that caused our nation to be the greatest nation on earth? It is still the case that biblical morality will cause the society that practices it to prosper. In it the weak are protected, the unborn are heralded as a blessing from God (Proverbs 17:6), not a blob of tissue that may be discarded at a woman's whim, right up to and including the moment of birth. The teachings of the New Testament are such that those who sincerely follow them will cause the world to be a safer and better place! Even if all are false (this writer certainly does not believe that) they are the greatest cure for the ills of any culture. When one discards God, he loosens himself from any foundation. If there is no God, there is no subjective right and wrong. But there is a God, and we will all answer to Him, (John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
When we get back to the "Old Paths" of one man and one woman marrying for their lifetime, raising their families with the fear and admonition of God; worshipping and honoring God, while we practice the ethics and morality described in the Bible, we will again see our nation great. If we continue the direction we are headed at this time, we will see our nation become just another decadent and failed example among all the others. Let's all reassess the direction we are headed, and do our best to go back to the "Old Paths."
Edward L. Rodgers, Quinlan, TX
"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."
"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
