Posted: 02/05/07

Fighting for the American Way

by Jill Martin Rische

A few days ago, I was talking to some friends and we got on the subject of our childhoods.  We all agreed that it was a world gone by-so much different than the world our children face today.  Our moms would send us outside for hours, and never worry about something bad happening to us.  We used to have bells that would ring all over the neighborhood at dinner time, and kids would stop in the middle of whatever they were doing and yell, "That's Martins' bell!" or "That's Savilles'!" and we would all scatter for dinner.

Those were the days . . .

Families ate together at the dinner table.

On Sunday mornings the neighborhood went to church.

The government could be trusted.

The media cared about morals.

Most companies valued their employees.

Age and experience counted for something: maturity meant respect and rewards.

People cared about the quality of their work.

Truth, Justice, and the American Way were synonymous.

Homosexuality was illegal.

Sex before marriage was shameful.

The unborn were called babies.

"Oh my God!" was swearing.

People were more valuable than animals.

Christians were the good guys.

America was one nation under God . . . and proud of it.

I could go on and on, but the fundamental difference is this: when I was a child, the good reigned supreme.  Oh, I know evil lurked in suburbia; I know the darkness was there, but it hid under rocks and seldom slithered into the light.  It didn't dare because people refused to tolerate it.

But today, a new time has come. Evil is not only out in the open, it has become the norm.  In the twenty-first century, evil reigns supreme.  People not only tolerate it-they worship it.  Hundreds of millions embraced the sexual promiscuity of Friends and Seinfeld.  It became the social norm. Millions tolerated the homosexual agenda . . . it became the social norm.  Millions now accept the prejudice against Christianity . . . it will soon become the social norm.

The old saying, "A man who will not stand for anything . . . falls for everything," remains depressingly true.  If we do not stand up and fight today, there will be nothing left to fight for tomorrow.

The battle is a spiritual one, and the Church has the ultimate weapon.  We are well-armed and woefully prepared . . . consumed by the cares and comforts of life; selling out our children's future for the price of popularity, big homes, luxury cars, designer labels and wine clubs.

It is not acceptable to tolerate evil.

It is not enough to disagree with evil.

We must fight it.

"All that is required for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."

–Edmund Burke

By Jill Martin Rische Click here for bio and archived articles