- By Grant Phillips -
"You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" is a saying that goes all the way back to the 1500s. It's just another way of saying that you cannot take something of inferior quality and make something of value. However, this is exactly what we have been doing in this country since 1962.
In 1962 our esteemed Supreme Court ruled that "officially sponsored prayer in public school was unconstitutional" in the case of Engel v. Vitale.
In 1963 the Supreme Court ruled that "mandatory prayers and Bible reading in public schools was unconstitutional" in the case of Murray v. Curlett.
In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled, "If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any affect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments. This is not a permissible state objective under the First Amendment." Stone v. Graham
In other words, our Supreme Court was concerned that the students might actually read and follow the teaching of the Ten Commandments. Now that is interesting. Here is what the Ten Commandments say.
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself idols and worship them.
- You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
- Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10.You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Seventeen years later, in Paducah, Kentucky, three Christian students were murdered and five others seriously injured by a fellow student. They had met in a school hallway where the Ten Commandments could no longer be posted (thanks to our Supreme Court), to enjoy Bible reading and prayer together. Maybe if the Bible, prayer and the Ten Commandments had remained in school, the student murderer would not have broken commandment number six. Just saying.
Our schools have never been perfect since they are comprised of imperfect people, but at least our hallways, play grounds and class rooms were safe environments when I was attending school. I am 72 now (2019), so you do the math. By the way, no one forced us to read the Bible or hear it read. No one forced us to pray, and no one forced us to read and adhere to the Ten Commandments.
It is a travesty that a Supreme Court of nine people has made decisions that has crippled the future of over 300,000,000 of their fellow Americans. Why am I saying it has crippled our future? Look around you folks. Since we kicked God out of our society we have plunged into the sewers of immorality and anarchy. We have taken what is holy and trampled it into the mud. We have spit in God's face and proclaimed, "I'LL DO IT MY WAY!" We have been trying to make silk purses out of sow's ears and we are falling apart as a nation.
We are now at the juncture of our society that the most despicable and lurid sexual practices are being forced upon decent Americans. We either hold our nose and eat from their plate of debauchery, or suffer the consequences. Godly parents are concerned for the welfare of their children, not because they might chew gum in class, but because of fellow students who are brainwashed murderers, without conscience, because they have no Biblical background which might have had a positive influence upon them.
Illicit drug usage is increasing at an alarming rate. Violence of every kind is out of control.
(By the way, my heart goes out to good teachers and police officers who are having their hands tied behind their backs while having to deal with this mess.)
One thing, among many, my wife and I are noticing in our neck of the woods is the violence against babies and small children. Just last week a little two year old girl was beaten to death by her mother's boyfriend.
This animal needs to be tried in a court of law and promptly executed, but it won't happen. He will be tried, given a few years, eventually released on probation, and commit another atrocity upon someone else. God instituted capital punishment, the death penalty, to administer His justice upon evildoers.
"Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind." (Genesis 9:6)
Why are so many acting like animals (my apologies to the animal kingdom)? When God is removed from a society, Satan is right at the door to take over. There is a vacuum in the human heart that must be filled. It's either filled with the Spirit of God or something else. When we removed God from our midst, Satan came in and took residence. Now we are reaping what we have sown.
"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind ..." (Hosea 8:7)
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8)
Today's society is all about (1) self, (2) money and (3) pleasure. The theologians call that (1) humanism, (2) materialism and (3) hedonism. Can anyone in all honesty deny that as a majority, our society worships these three and have made them gods?
I am constantly reminded of the following Scripture passage:
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. (Isaiah 5:20-23)
This is exactly, to the tee, what we, as a nation, have done. Have we no fear of God? We don't seem to. Now please read the remaining verses in that chapter.
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel."
"Therefore the LORD's anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!
Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal strap is broken.
Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hooves seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue.
In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is only darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds." (Isaiah 5:24-30)
Yes, I'm well aware these words are to Israel. I am also well aware of another verse which says:
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
Many of us throughout this great land must decide who we are going to serve. We are at a crossroads. When God is not in our lives we revert to animalistic behavior, and that is what we have become. Is this really what we want? There is no peace, no success but in Jesus Christ. We must stand up for Him, if we are truly His.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
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