By Betty Miller
Psalm 33:12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the
people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."
Everything good that we have been blessed with in our society here in the U.S.A., comes
directly or indirectly, from God's grace and the Bible's influence. You may think
this a bold statement to make but I am prepared to defend it. One of the things that
I am sure that grieves the heart of God, is the fact that instead of people being grateful
for all the blessings God has bestowed upon mankind, many blame Him and His followers for
the problems in the world.
In our society it seems popular to criticize Christians and blame them for things that
really are not their fault. They are even lumped in the same category with cults and weird
sects. People should realize there are things that are said and done in the name of
Christianity that are not Christian at all. The Bible even warns us of people like
that who actually hurt the cause of Christ. In this article when I speak of Christian
or Christianity, I am referring to the true believer and the true followers
of Christ.
Many people do not realize what the Bible and Christian influence has accomplished for
the betterment of our lives, especially here in the United States. They walk around
enjoying the good life with its abundance here in free America, without understanding they
owe it all to a book they have been taught by many to despise -- the Bible. Even some
countries who have embraced false religions are blessed in aspects of their societies
where they are practicing scriptural principles. The keeping of God's Word always brings
blessing.
It is a well-known fact that our founding fathers in the USA were, for the most part,
godly men who took the Bible's principles to construct our Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence. Any unbiased historian knows that the Bible has had a much
greater influence in the shaping of the foundation of this nation than is being
currently taught in our schools Let us look at some of these influences that we
could lose if we fail to acknowledge God and bring Him back in the national life.
The Bible and Its Effect on the Judicial System of the
United States
The United States has laws on the books that enforce punishment on those who would
assault and rape women, those who would murder, those who would steal and lie. You may be
surprised to know that the source of these laws came directly from the Bible and were
given for the protection of society. Many of them can be found in the Old Testament book
of Deuteronomy.
Other examples of laws taken directly from the Bible are our laws regarding bankruptcy,
laws in our courts that demand witnesses to a crime before one can be convicted, and laws
that demand just weights for commerce. Many of the past laws, like
our child labor laws protected children from being exploited. Even our government
Child Protection Agency was created to keep children from abuse. Although this
agency goes to the extreme at times and shields a rebellious child that is lying, its
original intent was to protect children from parental abuse. Our civil laws were
established to keep order in our society, and because our founding fathers were
Christians, they created a structure that was based on moral laws taken from the Bible.
Most of the original laws that our judicial system upheld were taken directly from the
Bible. (Many of these down through the years have now been altered or abandoned to our
determent as a nation. In fact, scripture says we would live in such a day. (Daniel
7:25: "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the
saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into
his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.")
Our present-day judicial system has now drifted away
from its original intent of protecting the innocent and unjustly accused, while
convicting the wicked so they will not harm others.
Today, it is being exploited by many lawyers, as well as people who want to
use the legal system for personal gain beyond what would be a fair settlement. They
are seeking outlandish judgments that in the end all the people will pay for.
Through unfair settlements in these kinds of suits, the lawyers are the ones most
rewarded. Protection of the innocent, in many cases, has been overruled while
criminals are not justly dealt with. Quick punishment for the guilty has been
abandoned, as court appeals and delays stretch into costly and lengthy trials that last
for years at the public's expense. We need to return to Biblical principles and once again
shape our laws accordingly, if we desire to see justice in our land. 2 Samuel
23:3, "The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over
men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."
The Bible and Its Effect on Benevolent Practices in Society
Historically, when true Christianity came to any region, those who were
practicing Christ's commands would began to reach out to help the poor, the oppressed, the
sick, and needy. Most of our present day hospitals, charity centers, orphanages and rescue
missions were all founded by Christians in keeping with the Biblical commands of Christ to
demonstrate His love to a needy world. God has always been interested in helping the weak,
the feeble and afflicted. Ungodly societies destroy their weak, helpless and
burdensome members.
We are praying for all nations that practice abortion because this
practice does not show the love of God toward babies. Rather, it is an unloving act
that is adversely affecting all of society. Men and women are hardening their hearts
to the idea of protecting the sanctity of a human life. Regardless of what those who
believe in abortion rights claim, most abortions are not done to protect the mother's life
or some other so-called valid reason, but, rather to allow the mother and father to
escape their responsibility of caring for the little life they had a part in
creating. Most abortions are done out of pure selfishness. The mother and father
simply do not want a child to interfere with their plans. The Bible teaches we are
to overcome selfishness, not encourage it. We need to reverse the law in our land that
allows abortions so freely, as the soul of our nation has accepted a practice that we will
all regret. The consequences of murder is "a life for a life" and this will mean
the loss of much life in our nation unless we repent.
Numbers 35:33: "So ye shall not pollute the land
wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the
blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it."
In regard to abortion, another thing
the U.S. is facing, is the fact that
our nation's workforce is hitting middle age. Along with this comes the
threat of a
long-term labor shortage. When abortion first became legalized no one
foresaw this
problem. Because people are living longer (Our current average life
span in the U.S.A. is 76 years according to recent statistics), the
senior population will need to be
supported by younger workers in the social security program. Where will
these
workers come from? Since we have now murdered over 10,000,000 of our
potential new
workers, we are left with an enormous shortage of younger workers.
Baby
Boomers are turning 50 at a rate of 11,000 people per day.¹ Their
impending
departure from the labor pool is creating a shortage of workers leaving
not enough younger
workers to fill their place. Eleven percent fewer Americans were born
from 1966 to 1985
than those born in the two decades after World War II. Because of lower
birth rates,
coupled with job expansion, employers will have no choice but to fill
their payrolls with
those over 60 who are willing to continue to work. If our nation ever
needed to reverse a
law that is destroying us it is the law that is allowing abortions.
Other nations like China, who limit their population expansion through
abortion are also running into problems. Because each family is only allowed one
child, many parents are electing to keep their sons while destroying their daughters, so
they will have a male heir. The population in China is now out of balance with more men
than women. Where will Chinese men be able to find a female mate for marriage? This could
create severe problems in the social structure of a nation that could lead to rape,
jealousy, etc.
Christianity's Influence in Education
Contrary to popular opinion, Christians are not anti-education. The Bible
instructs us to teach our children. The real issue is not eliminating education, but
rather seeing that the information being taught is accurate and is not against the Word of
God. Most of our well known universities, such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale, were
founded by Christians. In fact, the first 126 colleges and universities in the
U.S.A. were built for the glory of Jesus and the advancement of the gospel.²
Christians took the Bible seriously when the Word of God commanded them to teach and train
their children in the way of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7: "And these words, which I command thee
this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up."
How sad it is now that our laws now forbid Christian students to pray
publicly in the classrooms of our schools. Instead, violence stalks
the halls of our education centers and children are murdering in the classrooms.
Each law that eliminates God and His influence from our society, allows evil to fill its
place. Disallowing public prayer in our schools is another law that needs to be
reversed.
How the Bible and Christianity Has Influenced the Family
Unit
The Kenneth Copelands
The Bible is very supportive of the family unit as God created the first
family. The family unit in America was the strongest when the national life of the
nation upheld laws and principles that protected it. As the judicial system relaxed
divorce laws with no-contest rulings, divorce increased. When our society
became tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle, the family unit took another downward spiral.
(Notice, I said tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle, not the
homosexual. God loves the homosexual and wants to change them and give them a normal
life. However, He hates the sin of homosexuality as it is destroying many lives and
families.) When laws are established that encourage sin, then the fruit of that sin
brings confusion to society. Laws in our nation that are trying to gain acceptance
for gays to marry will further escalate destruction to the family.
The Lord desires for the family unit to once again thrive with the husband
as the head of the family who loves and nurtures his wife and children. Christian
homes that are in God's order will produce happy and loving families. Many cultures
throughout history made women mere chattels or property of the man. When Jesus came,
He truly liberated women to be restored to their proper place in a marriage. The Biblical
model for marriage is a partnership between a husband and wife, where both parties love
and respect each other. Cultures and societies without the Bible's influence usually
repress and use the women and even the children.
However, our culture has, in many ways, swung in the opposite direction
with many woman dominating and lording it over the man and trying to rule him. Many women
in the United States do not have a submissive attitude toward their husbands, but rather,
want to do their own thing. Many women in our nation have abandoned their husbands
and children for the excitement of the marketplace. Being in this arena has further
divided the home and left a whole generation of children without their mothers or fathers.
It is not always wrong for women to be in the workplace, but generally it is better for
the mother to be at home with the children when they are young. Children no longer are
being mentored by their parents, but by daycare workers, baby sitters, humanistic school
teachers, and the wicked influences of the media that have brainwashed them with the evil
ideas of the day. The Bible is just old-fashioned enough to advise parents to teach and
raise their children. (We realize 50% of homes in America are single parent homes and some
of these never wanted to be in that situation. In those cases, they must make the
best of the situation they are in and pray for the Lord to help them.)
Ephesians 5:21-25: "Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto
the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of
the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto
Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."
Our homes are being battered from many different sources. Pornography is another area
where our laws need tightening and enforcing. Our nation also has laws on the books
against this evil. However, we have allowed evil to prevail in the name of freedom.
Without a Christian influence against this kind of evil, more women and children will be
exploited, and lust will destroy the intimacy of our marriages. Keeping the
commandments of the Bible is all that stands between us and this flood of evil. Those who
produce pornography for greed and those who want their lustful and sinful desires
satisfied are responsible for this evil remaining in our nation.
It is only the "salt and light" of Christianity that keeps us
from total destruction. Again, Christianity's effect on the family unit is demonstrated as
people follow the Lord's plan for a happy marriage with the husband loving and caring for
his wife as the Lord cares for His bride, the church.
The Bible's Influence in the Market Place
If you have a day off during the week you can attribute it to the
influence of Christianity. The Bible lists as one of the Ten Commandments, the
keeping of the Sabbath rest.
Exodus 20:8-11: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of
the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them
is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed
it."
Nations that do not allow their people a day off during the week for rest, end up
working their people and their animals to death. They have shorter life spans in
nations who do not observe the Sabbath rest.
Other influences of Christianity and the Word of God in the market place
are the establishment of just and fair wages, the negotiating of honest deals and
production of quality products.
Christianity's Influence on Animal Rights and Ecology
The Bible gives us guidelines in the handling of the earth's resources and
Christians are taught in the Word of God to manage them properly. The scriptures are
not silent in regard to these things. Proverbs 12:10 says, "A
righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are
cruel."
We can also see from the scripture's below that the Bible teaches ecology
by allowing the mother bird to go if you eat the eggs she has lain.
Deuteronomy 22:6-7: "If a bird's nest chance to be before
thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and
the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the
young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it
may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days."
Caring hearts will take care of the animals and the land. The Bible
even instructed man to allow the land that crops were raised on to rest every seventh
year. Our crops are suffering from depleted vitality because we do not heed this
admonition today. Farmers should rotate their crops so that every portion of their
land could rest every seven years. Exodus 23:10-11: "And six years thou shalt
sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: 11 But the seventh year thou shalt
let it rest and lie still; ... In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with
thy oliveyard."
The Bible's Influence in the Culture and Traditions of
Society
Lara George
When the Bible's influence is strong in a society, it will affect all
aspects of that culture in a positive way. The opposite is also true -- when a
society turns its back on God, it will begin to reflect evil in its cultural choices. We
see this today as we watch our young and old people embrace things that are totally
unbiblical. How we dress, what we eat, what music we listen to, and what we choose
for entertainment, are all reflections of how strongly or weakly we embrace the Word of
God. Rebellious, anti-Christ music has become firmly established in our society
today in spite of the dangerous influence it has had on our young people. This music has
encouraged lust, sex, suicide, rebellion against authority, etc. Even physically, it has
damaged the hearing of a whole generation of young people who listen to loud music and
live bands constantly. There are those who are deaf or going deaf from this
exposure.
Many of our young people today don't realize how unbecoming, and in some
cases even vulgar, the latest clothing trends and fads appear on them. They look strange
with their body piercings, tattoos, and extreme oversized baggy clothes that show their
underwear. Others wear extremely tight shorts and other revealing clothes with nude
portions of their bodies showing. Our culture has stamped its approval because so many
young people have embraced these things. Older people have embraced many of the same
things. They think it is the trendy thing to do. However, Praise God, we do
have a remnant of young people who are seeking to be like Jesus as their motto is
"What would Jesus Do?" What would He do? I personally can't picture
Jesus with nose rings, tattoos, underwear showing, and His hair dyed purple. Praise God
for the young people who are taking a stand against the ungodly trends of our
society. We are regressing in our culture when we watch our youth defile their
bodies and express themselves in ways that are unbecoming as Christians.
We could address many more cultural trends and traditions that do not
glorify God or are against the Word of God. However, at this time, we will address only
one more; the tradition of Halloween. The
celebration of this holiday has its roots in witchcraft. Although this holiday is an
Satanic celebration, the influence of Christianity in our nation has established the
celebration of some true "holy-days." Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter
are all Christian celebrations that we enjoy even if some people celebrate them in the
wrong way.
Keeping God's Laws in the Earth Brings Blessings to Mankind
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
People that come against true Christianity don't realize they are coming
against the very influences that make life pleasant in this earth. (Please note that
everyone who claims to be a Christian may not truly be one, as many come in Christ's name
but are not keeping His commandments.) The laws and commandments that God
gives us to live by are given to us so that we might live a good life in this earth.
The keeping of these laws do not get us to heaven; only faith and a relationship
with Jesus Christ will do that. However, the keeping of God's laws brings harmony to
the earth. If we are a true Christian we will be striving to keep the rules of the
Bible to please God. All men want to be free, but many mistakenly think that keeping
God's laws will bring them into bondage, when the exact opposite is true. The Bible
says in John 8:31-32, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on
him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free."
The Bible teaches responsibility. Laws establish people's rights. However,
many of our laws are now being changed to establish individual rights, while infringing
upon the rights of the whole. We must pray for this to cease or we will all soon lose our
true freedoms. We must also stand against the sin of tolerating every evil in
the name of allowing that person the freedom to do things that do not agree with God's
Word. Freedom has its responsibilities and guidelines. Those are defined by the Bible.
We must get back to the one standard of God's Word and the worship of the one true
God named in that Word. It is only by keeping God's laws that we as people in all
societies will be truly free and enjoy the blessings of God in the earth.
Psalm 67:1: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause
his face to shine upon us; Selah.
2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously,
and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him."
__
End Notes:
¹Orange County Register, Arizona Republic Newspaper Article
(March 3, 1999)
² The Bible and Civilization, D. James Kennedy, Ph.D., Coral Ridge
Ministries, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
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