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What is the Answer for Today's Problems?
What is our problem? Why are we dissatisfied with the way the country seems to be going? Why are we not
doing better than our parents' standard of living: economically, morally, spiritually or emotionally? What is missing
that will satisfy us? Why has crime, corruption, violence, hate, racism, diseases, and unrest increased instead of
vanished as we were promised would happen if we supported the various government programs, taxes, and
more education alternatives? Why does the news seem totally biased ? Why are the fine arts so debased that
even experts can not tell trash and filth from real art, dance, theater, music, or literature? Why does the media
offer us pornographic sex, graphic violence, explosions, revenge, hellish monsters, and occult power trips,
instead of real plots showing talent, real people, and real solutions to personal problems in the story lines?
Everybody has a dozen reasons why we got into the mess we are in. But they are all based on their personal
biases and the program they are pushing, to solve the situations that they may have caused. Where does this
leave us? Can we believe anybody? The answer is yes and the solution is both simple and complicated.
The best way to start is to look at cause and effect. We are a generation that has seen tremendous changes and
we can remember why the change was made and see the effects of these changes. Here are some examples:
Starting in the late 1950's and early 1960's we saw states liberalize the divorce laws, so anybody who was
unhappy could change partners. The effect was some happy marriages, but also many unhappy and insecure
children. This also added abuse by step parents, mixed families, loss of respect for parents, and "run aways" to
our society in direct proportion to the number of increased divorces. Cause = liberalized divorce, Effect = many
broken homes and the pain reflected in the children. The same cause and effect can be shown for: Federal
welfare rules prevented families from being together, and following these rules, we saw the rise in single parent
families, delinquency, welfare cheating, gang violence, increased poverty, and an explosion of illegitimate births.
The laxness in the justice system on sentencing and jailing criminals is a direct cause, and the results are the rise in
crime. The removal of moral training and patriotism in the public schools is a cause, and the result is the climate of
violence and fear that followed in those same schools. And lastly, the sexual revolution's liberalizing all forms of
sexual pleasure is a cause, and the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases and other perversions we are
experiencing is an effect.
But you say, we did these things for good reasons (at the time) and things just went wrong. Why did they go
wrong? Was it bad luck or bad assumptions on the possible effects of these programs? And are we making the
same mistakes today, even when we can see that the past programs did not work? Why not try again with a new
revised (improved) version? Or should we try another approach? Something that has worked every time in the
past, and has caused most of the good things, we take for granted today. O. K. What is this program that always
works? And why haven't we tried it lately?
The answer is personal responsibility for one's own actions. We have to clean up our own life before we can
work on a program to help others. If we are unwilling to change ourselves, we can not force others who are
unwilling to change. Any program, education system, or law enforcement action that tries to force others to do
what they feel is wrong, or unjust, will fail. And unless we have self control, some one will have to control us.
How do we find this change for our lives? We have tried religions, dos and don'ts, pleasure, trying to do the right
thing, love and family, self improvement classes, exercise and weight loss, striving for success, buying things,
leisure time activities and hobbies, and not thinking about it. The answer is simple to say, but impossible to do by
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ourselves without the help of an all knowing God. We are all sinful and are being deceived by many in this world,
so without God's help we can not do anything right. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
Rom 3:23. This is the missing ingredient in all the situations mentioned. Most of the problems in our society today
stem from leaving God out of our lives.
The loss of personal responsibility started when we as a society did away with absolute truth as expressed in
God's Word, the Bible, and we substituted our own logic and ideas. "Because that, when they knew God , they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened." Rom 1:21 This lead to "situation ethics" which means: "If everybody says 'it is all right', 'it' is all right,
on matter how evil 'it' is." Again, the cause and effect, if everything can be made "all right" if enough people say it
is all right: then each group that has a cause, no matter how gross, puts on a propaganda effort to prove that they
have an alternative lifestyle that should be acceptable. The affect is we are now on a sliding scale that keeps
pulling us down and down as we accept more and more gross lifestyles. Also we can now blame our problems
on others, or society in general, instead of taking responsibility for our actions. But who is to say that I am right
and you are wrong?
The answer is: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This is where all the philosophy and
situation ethics stop. You might think it is okay to steal, but when you steal from me, I want justice, or if someone
steals from you, you get mad enough to hurt someone. See, if a majority of people are stealing, it still is not right
to those who lose their possessions. The same can be said for killing, lying, rape, cheating, abuse, willfully
spreading diseases, and so on. You might campaign long and hard to get many people to agree that rape is okay,
for instance, but if they rape you or your family, you want justice. The rationalizations all stop when we are being
abused by others. So you see, there is an innate sense of absolute morality and justice.
If this is the answer to our problems, why isn't already happening? It is happening all over the country, but the
reporting media is ignoring this renewal. The reporting media has it's own agenda and is influenced by many
special interests that select what is reported and also shade the truth with their own "spin". Try alternate sources
of news to get the part of the truth the media is not telling.
But to really change from inside we need to get beyond ourselves and really trust in a just and loving God. We
need a God that can accept us and work with us to change us through love and gentle discipline. But we feel that
we only deserve wrath and condemnation from this just God, so we want to avoid Him as much as possible. This
is where Jesus Christ's death on the cross comes in. We are guilty of sin and rebellion against a just God. We
deserve all the trouble that we have brought on ourselves. But God in his love has paid the price for us, himself.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not
perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 This is a free gift that we each have to ask God for. And He will actually
forgive you on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ. You say that this is too easy, and then every body could get
away with anything. " For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ out
Lord." Rom 6:23 The fact is on this earth we are still responsible for our actions. God will forgive us, but others
will not. A murderer may pray for forgiveness from God, but he still will be executed for his crime. "For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Eph 2:8-10 The gift of forgiveness cost
God plenty, and we owe him. But all he really wants is to work with us to make us into the people He wants us
to be. This may be fast or slow, depending on our willingness to change. As we follow this loving God, he starts
changing our lives and as we change the others around us also change. Especially as they also accept this same
gift of forgiveness and also are directed by this loving God.
So you see we have returned to the problems of our society. When we leave God out, or try to be God
ourselves, only ruin and evil remains. And all the government programs and education are useless without each of
us accepting responsibility for our actions. But, by ourselves we can not change for the better. We need the help
of God. This help is available and is free for the asking. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:18. If we are too proud to ask for help, we will suffer the consequences of our actions.
History's tyrannies and most wars follow a time, like today, when the true God is left out of a society and evil has
triumphed in at least one major country. And most of the suffering in this world is due to evil not being stopped
by those who are guilty, deceived, too afraid, or too satisfied to act.
All history's great movements of freedom and all the great humanitarian institutions have started with a renewing
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of each of many individuals' lives by acceptance of God's forgiveness of sin, and the changing of each individual's
bad attitudes. When many peoples lives are changed, they also start to see what is wrong around them and want
to improve the lives of others less fortunate. This they do on their own, or with help of others, often in spite of
government programs. The motivation is to help, not to force their views on others. This is the answer to today's
problems.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chron 7:14
Do you want to get involved in making our lives better? Start by allowing God to change your life. Then you will
see what needs to be done.
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