A good recent example for us is one that many families have
experienced: the misplaced bike. What happens in this case is that the child
not only fails to put away his bike properly, but leaves it in such a place
that it is run over by the family car. Of course, much sadness and sorrow
ensue, but this is also a great opportunity for learning.
A great biblical example of learning things the hard way is
the parable of the lost son. In this story, Jesus described a father with two
sons. The younger son approached his father and demanded his share of the
estate. Shorty after this, the younger son took all he had and left for a
distant land. There he “squandered his wealth in wild living.” After losing all
he had and staring at starvation and poverty, the son “came to his senses,”
repented of his sins, and humbly returned to his father.
I’m afraid that similar such hard lessons loom for this
nation.
After winning on November 6, gloating liberals boldly
declared, “The
right has lost the culture war.” Who could blame them for such a
conclusion? In spite of a weak economy and terrible employment numbers, Barack
Obama, the most pro-abortion president in our nation’s history and the only
sitting U.S.
president to declare support for same-sex marriage, easily won reelection.
Harry Enten of the UK Guardian concluded
that, “The 1990s culture wars
were fought over many social issues that many on the right thought were being
redefined from their traditional normals by progressive activists and the
liberal media for the next generation. Three of the key points of contention
were abortion, gay rights, and recreational drug use. The results from last
Tuesday's election indicates that the right is losing the war on these three
issues.”
In addition to Obama’s reelection, the results that form
such thinking are as follows: For the first time ever, voters in U.S. states (Maine ,
Maryland , and Washington ) approved same-sex marriage.
Voters in two states (Colorado and Washington ) passed
ballot measures that allow for the recreational use of marijuana. Wisconsin elected America ’s
first openly gay U.S.
senator. What’s more, the GOP lost two very winnable senate races (Indiana and Missouri ) partly due to
their candidates’ inability properly and intelligently to articulate the
pro-life position when it comes to abortion in the rare case of pregnancy due
to rape.
Liberals have also declared themselves the winners in the
“class war.” Writing for New York
magazine, Jonathan Chait noted that,
“Like every president, Obama won for myriad reasons, important and petty. But
his reelection was hardly small and hardly devoid of ideas. Indeed, it was
entirely about a single idea. The campaign, from beginning to end, was an
extended argument about economic class.”
In spite of the class warfare, as
I noted just after the election, I’m convinced
that millions of Americans voted for Obama, et al, for no other reason than for
their support of legalized killing of children in the womb, and for their
support of perverted (same-sex) marriage. Too many Americans want the social
and legal approval of sex without consequences.
What liberals forget, or choose to
ignore, is that even if such social and legal protections are achieved, this
does not remove the tough natural consequences of immoral behavior. In other
words, winning elections isn’t going to bring back a child killed in the womb
or cure the many diseases that stem from illicit sexual activity.
Along with the loss of a life, the sad consequences of an abortion
are myriad. According
to National Right to Life, women having an abortion face more than a doubled
risk of future sterility along with an increased risk of future miscarriages.
Thirteen out of 17 studies in the U.S. reported an increase in breast
cancer among women choosing abortion. Abortion has also been associated with
cervical and ovarian cancer.
Besides the physical trauma, many post-abortive women are
doomed to a lifetime of guilt and pain, with common experiences such as
depression, anxiety, self-hatred, loneliness, and hopelessness. A 1995 study
revealed that women who have had an abortion are 89% more likely to abuse their
other children.
Just as one can’t violently end a pregnancy without suffering
some consequences, a culture can’t redefine the foundational institution of
human society without suffering for it. (And remember,
libs, ANY definition of marriage is discriminatory.) Even without same-sex
marriage, the destruction of the traditional (biblical) family unit is already well
underway.
The number of U.S. households headed by unmarried
adults now
outnumbers those led by married adults. Also, more than half of all
American children born to women under 30 are born out of wedlock. In addition
to this, 41% of all births in the U.S. are out of wedlock. This
includes 29% of white children born to unmarried mothers, along with 53% of
Hispanics and 73% of black children.
Of course, as I
have noted before, the push for same-sex marriage has little to do with
marriage. Marriage is just the means
to a more sinister end for the homosexual movement. This is about sex and about
legitimizing, through the American judicial system, a sexual lifestyle that many
Americans find immoral (and, as I have
noted, dangerous).
Then there is the inevitable consequence of a nation living
well beyond its means. Make no mistake about it, for far too many Americans,
the primary function of the U.S.
government is to provide income, food, housing, and health care. As Robert
Samuelson recently
reported, “In 2011, ‘payments for individuals’ including health care,
constituted 65 percent of federal spending, up from 21 percent in 1955. That's
the welfare state.”
Much in the media has been made recently of the “fiscal
cliff” facing the U.S. Almost certainly, Congress and the President will come
to some agreement and the media will report that we have “stepped back from the
brink.” However, it is very unlikely that much will be done to deal with the
trillions in debt that the “welfare state” has wrought.
Whoever wins elections does nothing to change the natural consequences
of disobeying what is often referred to as Natural Law. There is no getting
around it; human beings were meant to behave themselves in a certain way. When we
violate the standards set by Natural Law, or when our own laws are in conflict
with Natural Law, hard consequences await. The important thing is to learn from
our mistakes, and as in the parable of the lost son, to return to what is
right.
(See this column at American Thinker.)
(See this column at American Thinker.)
Copyright 2012, Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.Trevor and his wife Michelle are the authors of: Debt Free Living in a Debt Filled World
tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
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