How Much Time Does the U.S. Have?

A friend recently asked: “How long do we have left as a society?” In answer to that question I informed her about an interesting and comprehensive study that a renowned British anthropologist, Joseph Unwin, PhD., presented to the British Psychological Society in 1935. Unwin sought to prove that the traditional monogamous model for marriage was not essential to the maintenance of a healthy society. After studying 86 different cultures, across time and continents –and much to his surprise — he came to the inescapable conclusion that the traditional male-female monogamous model for marriage was indeed the best foundation for a healthy and productive society. Unwin found that societies that adopted this model typically took about three generations to reach their peak of productivity and progress. After that, frequently, a gradual development of complacency and licentiousness would take place and what he described as an ”outburst of homosexuality” would sometimes occur. When that happened, and the society started to move away from the traditional model of male-female monogamous marriage as its foundation, it would begin to unravel. It would then take another three generations of deterioration from that point for the society to collapse. It is my opinion that between the end of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction of the South, proceeding through the Industrial Revolution, and continuing up until about the end of World War II in 1945, the U.S. reached its zenith. Then came the U.S. Supreme Court’s Everson decision in 1947 which imposed an unconstitutional “Wall of Separation” between Church and State. This directly contradicted the vision of the founding fathers. Upon his farewell address to the nation, George Washington tried to impress upon his fellow countrymen that it was “Religion and Morality” that served as the foundation for our young nation.

I thought this might demonstrate the power of parental authority over that of schools and teachers. However--upon reflection--I am now a Republican and an admirer of Lincoln...

There is some truth to that first statement followed immediately by another that demonstrates the wisdom that comes with age. My mother is only 16 years older than I but still appeals to her childhood memories of the Good Works programs and how the Democrats jump started the economy back then. She and my father both watch the msm news and tv morning shows and buy into whatever hogwash they are fed. My mother's ignorance is frightening; she still believes that Terri Schiave was on life support and that her husband did the right thing by pulling the plug. My father is more open minded but lacks friends and has isolated himself from discussions with others.

I used to be a news junkie and would flip back and forth each night from CNN to MSNBC to FOX. Since television is a one way form of communication, I often found myself shouting at the program host and going to bed bitter, angry and frustrated. 3 years ago, I gave up watching the news for Lent and peace entered my life. I have never gone back. I catch all the news at Drudge or right here on FR, where we can discuss issues and challenge the msm reporting.

I'm an Episcopalian, but it seems to me that the Catholic Church is emerging as a solid resistance to the decadence. On the other hand, the Catholic Church is under heavy fire from the decadence, especially in Europe.

The Catholic Church holds the deposit of faith entrusted to it by Jesus Christ through the Apostle Peter. There are some progressivist bishops who have tried unsuccessfully to move the Church is a different direction. They apparently failed to factor in the work of the Holy Spirit. Only last night, Geoge Weigel, a Catholic theologian and one of America's leading public intellectuals, appeared as a guest on EWTN's Friday night program The World Over Live. He spoke about Pope Paul VI's Encyclical HUMANAE VITAE . This Encyclical was intended to be the Catholic Church's response to the use of artificial birth control by catholics. Many religious within the church, anticipating the Vatican's approval, had paved the way by assuring their congregations to be patient. Some had already told penitent's to go ahead and use the pill. I still recall my parent's watching the news during dinner that night when the encyclical was released. The msm were surprised that the Catholic Church had decided to remain in the "middle ages". It shocked many of the catholic religious who did not expect this outcome. But once again, the Holy Spirit spoke through Christ's representative. In the Encyclical, Pope Paul VI writes:

Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.

IVF was unknown in the 60s yet this encyclical providentially anticipated the 'slippery slope' down which we would all travel with the approval of a simple birth control pill. (See my post #64)

As for the situation in Europe, the issues are relativism and secularism. With increased education, people tend to think they no longer need God in their lives. They have the intelligence to resolve all their problems. My parents are classic examples of this as well. They have formulated so many legal documents to ensure they "will not be a burden on society". Actually, I had looked forward to the day when I could give back to my parents some modicum of the love and dignity they had inbued in me. On the contrary, they feel they are the masters of their own destiny. All I can do for them now, is offer up prayers and remain as a sentry anticipating the day when they not only need but want me.

Thank you for your words of encouragement, NY, concerning my rant (post #27). It's hard to be sure we're not full of baloney when we launch one. ~S

You are absolutely correct and that is why I pointed the others to your post. If you scroll back towards the top, you will find a similar post from me.

For a period of 11 years, my life was reduced to living from one paycheck to the next. It was a very rocky road to traverse and along the way, in utter desperation, I opened the Bible one night in hopes of finding some redress. I just happened to open to the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes
Chapter 1

1
¹ The words of David's son, Qoheleth, king in Jerusalem:
2
² Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
3
³ What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?
4
One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.
5
The sun rises and the sun goes down; then it presses on to the place where it rises.
6
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
7
All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going.
8
⁴ All speech is labored; there is nothing man can say. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9
What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun.
10
Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
11
⁵ There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them.

Nothing is new under the sun! Here is the wisdom so lacking in today's society. I have heard it and I'm sure you have too that "we need to get with the times!" We're living in the 21st century. Each time I hear those words, I recall those of Qoheleth, written about three centuries before Christ.

God bless you!

I have three sons. Yes, it’s true boys don’t talk about feelings, and they need to be very physical - horsing around, jumping, running, racing, etc.

But, while it’s important to learn how to fight, boys should be taught not to start a fight. I hope we’re all in agreement on that here. There’s a difference between roughhousing and fighting.

When I was growing up and attending Catholic school back in the late 50s, boys took their issues to the school yard where they fought it out. Today, boys are expected to remain quietly in their seats, like the good little girls, and refrain from any physical (i.e. - natural) reaction to their frustration. When they 'act up' in class, they are sent to the psychologist who usually assesses them as having ADHD and recommends the parents put their boys on ritalin.

You are right - it is good form to train our boys not to start fights but, consider the alternative! My daughter was finally diagnosed with dyslexia in 8th grade. She had been in private catholic school which lacks the resources to provide for these children. Over the course of several years, I met several parents on the internet whose children suffered from some form of learning disability. One mother related how her visually impaired son was knocked over and physically abused by an 'out of control' youth in their local high school. The youth, it turns out, was on ritalin, a psychotic drug, and had been for many years.

Be grateful for the legal ability to still homeschool your children in this country. Count your blessings!

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