trump-makeamericagreatagain

With the election of Donald Trump as the U.S president one thing that does not seem likely to change under his rein is the cancerous rot of moral values and standards that has been spreading precipitously like a tumor in the lymph nodes of the body of the nation.  I ran across an article on OneNewsNow.com posted May 2016 that highlighted a survey by U.S Barna on the state of morality in America.  In the article it stated, Regardless of what demographic one looks at — Millennials (born between 1984 and 2002), Gen-Xers (born from 1965 to 1983), Boomers (born from 1946 to 1964) and Elders (born in 1945 or before) — Americans 18 years of age and older are worried that moral behavior is becoming a thing of the past. The article highlighted “moral relativistism”- “According to a majority of American adults (57 percent), knowing what is right or wrong is a matter of personal experience.” This survey ducktails with an earlier poll by the Pew Research Center in August of 2015 when it showed, “One of the most important and well-documented shifts taking place over the past decade is the steadily rising share of people who are religiously unaffiliated – from 16% in 2007 to 23% in 2014.”  More and more of America, that was once a nation staunchly grounded in Judeo-Christian ideology and tenets, is now seeking to not be bound by ANY moral standards.

It is in this purple haze of moral identity that a man such as Donald Trump is elected to represent and guide this nation that was once hailed by George Washington to be guided by “Divine Providence”.  After 8 years under the reign of Barack Obama, who openingly supported homosexual marriage and done all that he could to publicly show his disdain and indifference for traditional American religious beliefs and traditions, the nation is now faced with another 4, maybe 8 years, of someone who as quoted in a 10/16 CNN article, “He said he does not ask for forgiveness and “does not bring God into that picture” when he makes mistakes. He has tried to put money in the Communion plate and referred to the sacrament as “my little wine” and “my little cracker.” He mispronounced a book of the Bible, and when asked about his favorite verse, has either deferred or, in one case, cited “an eye for an eye,” an Old Testament revenge scheme specifically condemned by Christ. (Turn the other cheek, Jesus said.)”

The past two Republican presidents were unabashedly religious and quoted from the Bible regularly.  And their actions was evidence of their Christian groundings, particularly president Reagan.  Reagan once said, regarding the troubling growth of religious secularism in America, “Our coins bear the words ‘In God We Trust’. We take the oath of office asking His help in keeping that oath. And we proclaim that we are a nation under God when we pledge allegiance to the flag. But we can’t mention His name in a public school or even sing religious hymns that are nondenominational. Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.”  Trump doesn’t slightly exude any such religious conviction nor principles. He is a man who openly states that he has NEVER asked for forgiveness, NEVER repented, and therefore by definition has no bounds for right and wrong.  His moral compass is guided more by what he himself sees as right or wrong at that moment, and not firm unwavering moral principles.  Problem!  Even before the 2016 Presidential Election a Pew Research Center Poll revealed, “that having a president who shares their religious beliefs is important to many Americans, with about half of U.S. adults saying it is “very important”, and that Mr. Trump’s Christian integrity was in serious doubt; 59% of the surveyed did not see him as religious.

The Founders were quite aware of the nexus between Christendom and the success of America. John Jay, Founding Father and the nation’s first Supreme Court Justice, prophetically stated, “…Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers…”

Though Trump boasts mightily about making America Great Again, he doesn’t show any evidence that his vision of the remaking of America will include it’s return to Divine Providence or traditional religious Christian principles that arguably has made America exceptional and great. But any attempt to make “America Great Again” without rebuilding reverence to Divine guidance in the public square, in the schools, and in government, would be like attempting to make cheese cake without cream cheese.  Big Problem!

The slow steady moral deformity and decay of America has not happened overnight.  It in large measure started with the abolishment of Biblical teachings from government schools and the acceptance of secularist ideology.  The consequences of removing Biblical teachings from American society, in particularly regarding the youth, was forewarned by many of the Founders, such as Benjamin Rush, Contemplating merely the political institutions of the United States, I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them. We profess to be republicans, and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government; that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible; for this divine book, above all others, favors that equality among mankind, that respect for just laws, and all those sober and frugal virtues which constitute the soul of republicanism. and By removing the Bible from schools we would be wasting so much time and money in punishing criminals and so little pains to prevent crime. Take the Bible out of our schools and there would be an explosion in crime.  And George Washington may have said it best, Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.

America has the leaders that we deserve.  If the people of America’s moral footing is not stable, sound, and assured, then our governmental leaders will mirror that, and so too shall it’s policies, both domestically and abroad.

At the end of the day, it is up to us to decide whether this nation is firmly guided and inspired by the Divine Providence or loosely by whatever feels good at the moment.

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