A Moral Society 

   “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and very grave their sin!  I must go down and see whether they have done according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”  (Gen 18: 20 -21) 

   From its’ beginning the United States was a society based on basic moral laws.  That isn’t to say that everyone was a faithful Christian, Jew, or of any other religious faith.  It simply means that most everyone recognized that some things were wrong.  More and more, those moral codes have been abandoned and our nation suffers from the loss.

   Adultery was considered a betrayal of the holy vows between a man and a woman, made before God; vows that were to last “as long as we both shall live.”   Pre-marital sex was hidden in the dark rather than on prime time TV.  Unplanned pregnancy usually resulted in marriage, not abortion.  Today sex is condoned with whomever, whenever and wherever one desires; consequences be damned.  If pregnancy results, just kill the child in the womb and throw them in the trash.

   Everyone knew it was wrong to steal another’s property and to do so resulted in punishment for the crime.  Liars were frowned upon and never to be trusted.  Those who spread rumors about others did so in whispered voices, maybe because they knew that gossip was wrong.

   People could be trusted.  If they made a promise, most kept it, and those who didn’t were avoided.  There was no need for page after page of legal language to ensure each party would perform as intended, people honored their commitments.

   Ronald Reagan once said, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom loving people everywhere.”  I fear that beacon is burning very dimly and may be extinguished if we continue down the road to immorality. 

   “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”  (Gen 19: 24 – 25)