Diminishing Pride

|

Download PDF of newsletter here: Diminishing Pride

 

“The United States changes from day to day When I was a kid it wasn’t that way; The national anthem gave me butterflies to sing, A lump in my throat the Pledge of Allegiance did bring.

We were taught in school, pride and respect Of family and country, of old people don’t neglect; A policeman had authority and walked with pride, Our military, the strongest, not to be denied.

World influence such progress we made Our government strong, our hope in it laid. America! America! God shed His grace on thee; Pride is what I felt inside of me.

What went wrong these past years; Has the pride lessened and been replaced by fear? Through communication has a spell been cast? Does technology give us our news too fast?

The shooting of leaders happened elsewhere, Riots and revolts we didn’t dare. Has moral decay replaced our will to lead, Denying the elders who planted our seed?

We try to improve equality for all, But throughout our ranks people want us to fall. Infiltration from outside is taking place, Our court system screwed up is a horrible disgrace.

Policemen are called “pigs” the young flaunt the law, “No judicial strength” is the older people’s call; Bigots, corruption in all facets of life, The military deteriorating with our internal strife.

Our enemies poison our blood if they can, As smuggled in dope adds to our sin: The movie industry, a teacher of youth we know, And movies of trash make our moral decay grow.

What will happen? Will we continue to digress? In front of the world will we openly undress, To show the scars we have inside? America the great with diminishing pride.

Karl Marx said, “Victory without lifting a gun” Our internal suffering to others must be fun; People of this nation open your eyes, In our country hide our enemies in disguise.

The C.I.A. and F.B.I. an important tool, A warning to others not to fool; Look right now what is taking place, A lessening strength, a changing face.

In our school system students can’t add or spell; Will our future leaders lead us well? Yes, now is the time to stand up and fight To search for leaders who will make it right.

Pride! Pride! I’m an American, We’re people of all races and united we stand; Like a dentist, let us clean the decay inside Be strong against our enemies and not be denied.”

 

The preceding poem was written by Tom after many years of leading a life of moral decay himself.

At that time G-d opened Tom’s eyes and began the process of drawing him to do Adonai’s work in helping to share G-d’s truths with others and turning many hearts to Adonai.

Many years ago the following passage was written by an unknown author—sound familiar?

 

The story begins… “Once there was a great nation that had a government that was founded by the pilgrims who decided to leave their own country, which didn’t encourage freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the individual. So they migrated to an uncivilized land inhabited only by savages. The rock where they landed was to become a national shrine—and one of the most famous monuments in the world.

They drove off the natives, built rude shelters and houses of worship, meanwhile setting aside a special day to give thanks. These pilgrims—all stern, austere men— believed in their God, but they also believed in work. They established schools under religious leaders that, in a way, became the first public, free education in the world. Through hard, determined labor they forged a colony while the rest of the world chuckled. But the pilgrims persevered. Intolerant of wrongdoing, they used gallows to punish criminals. In their day-to-day activities they had no patience for the weak and degenerate, who, if pampered, become the cancer of a nation. Shortly, these pilgrims engaged in trade and commerce as their community grew. In the process they became moderately prosperous. Other colonists came and established other communities. And some of the noblest words ever written began to surface.

Facades of our modern government buildings bear some of the legends written back then: “liberty,” “justice,” “freedom of worship.” Then one of the older nations sent tax agents to exploit the colonists. Alarmed, the colonists sent their greatest men as representatives to a general assembly choosing a gentleman farmer as their leader. He united them and shook off the shackles of oppression as they won the fight against the “old world” and became a strong nation. That farmer is known as the “father of his country.” Today, a famous U.S. city is named after him. The new nation formed two houses of government. The more powerful was the Senate, whose members could be elected only if they were men of integrity, honor, patriotism, and religion.

The nation became a republic, though it is a republic no longer. Ultimately, a civil war divided the fledgling country. Its leader, who tried to keep the republic united, was assassinated in the shadow of government buildings. Eventually, many of the nation’s senators became ambitious for power. They began to make deals with leaders of important factions and the republic now became entangled in alliances with foreign nations. The alliances brought wars; the wars brought taxes. But the citizens didn’t seem to mind. War, after all, also increased trade and industry. And, besides, the new taxes affected only the rich. The farmers rebelled, sending petitions for subsidies, price supports. Government, wanting support of its own schemes, bought up the surplus crops and stored them in warehouses, where they rotted. Not to be outdone, industrialists were next to ask for tax benefits.

Finally, the government became all powerful. It guaranteed to protect the people from all forces of nature. And taxation grew and grew. Bureaucracy thrived as free housing, free food, free entertainment came next. The middle class declined under the added tax burdens. And crime became so commonplace that it was dangerous to walk the streets at night. A crippled man led the nation into more wars and foreign entanglements. Patriots became known as radicals. A general, who had been victimized by the government, pleaded with the nation to remember her past, to return to honor, to decent government, to the principles of the founding fathers. The people scoffed, and he died bitterly thinking his anguished thoughts. An honest senator dared to speak out for a halt to foreign subversion and to constant foreign aid and draining away from the people’s money. The public at large recoiled, branding him a reactionary. The nation fell deeper and deeper into debt. It joined a league of the world with enemies that exploited her. She increased taxes to send her wheat to those enemies. And she devalued her currency, substituting base materials for precious metals in her coins. She became allied with powerful barbarians in still another stupid war. She sent “experts” to school the barbarians in the latest scientific discoveries.

The nation was now totally corrupt. Its middle class was finally dead. The barbarians moved in… and took over. And they destroyed the civilization.” The nation being referred to in the passage is ANCIENT ROME; the pilgrim’s rock-Foundation of the Temple of Jupiter; the gentleman farmer-Cincinatus; the assassinated leader-Julius Caesar; the crippled leader-Caligula; the general- Marc Anthony; the honest senator-Cicero.” The future of the United States hangs in the balance of a “ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT”. We often hear it remarked that America has changed from the good old days! This same progression of moral decay has destroyed many once-powerful nations and, according to the scriptures, is the spirit referred to as “Mystery Babylon.” It brought about the fall of Rome and, if the United States continues on the same course, will lead to its demise because this scheme is the epitome of “SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES”. The government of the United States is moving along the course to become the present-day “Mystery Babylon.”

Psalms 94 tells us how it will end for those who are bent on wickedness, and how G-d deals with those who continue in vain in their own agendas: “O LORD God to whom vengeance belongs, God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth. Lift Yourself up, O Judge of the earth; Render to the proud their punishment. LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? They gush out, they speak arrogance; all the workers of iniquity bear themselves loftily. They crush Your people, O LORD, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. And they say: ‘The LORD will not see, neither will the God of Jacob give heed.’ Consider, you brutish among the people; and you fools, when will you understand? He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that instructs nations, shall He not correct? Even He that teaches man knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.” Happy is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your Torah; that You may give him rest from the days of evil, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance. For right shall return unto justice, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence. If I say: ‘My foot slips’, Your mercy, O LORD, holds me up. When my anxieties are numerous within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Shall the seat of wickedness have fellowship with You, which devises evil by law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood. But the LORD has been my high tower, and my God the rock of my refuge. And He has brought upon them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own evil; The LORD our God will cut them off.”It is important for us to focus on Adonai and His ways and to take a stand for what is right. I John 3:21-24 instructs us: “Loved ones, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. Now this is His commandment—that we should believe in the name of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. We know that He abides in us by this—by the Spirit He has given us.”

,