The other day I was talking with someone about the Methamphetamine epidemic that has reached crisis proportions across America including in South Dakota. He asked me a question? “Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”
I replied that I had a drug problem when I was young.
I was drug to church 3 times/week. I was drug to church for weddings, funerals, and family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to my elders, and nobody dared be disrespectful to teachers, parents, or police officers – it was unheard of.
The only tanning booth when I was a kid was the woodshed and I was drug there when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, and did not speak with respect, or spoke ill of the teacher or the pastor, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered profanity. I was drug to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds. I was drug to the homes of neighbors to help mow the yard of little old ladies or to give random acts of kindness for no pay.
Today America wonders why Johnny no longer knows right from wrong. Virtue and values were taught in every school and reinforced by local communities. In fact, James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution said, “We have staked the entire future of civilization, not on the power of government, far from it, but on the ability of people to govern themselves according to the ten commandments of God.” When he argued with John Adams, “If we let people govern themselves they could rape, rob or murder each other.” And John Adams said, “Yes, freedom with virtue is madness.” There is no freedom without virtue and there is no virtue without God.”
That’s why our national motto is: “One Nation under God.” Our currency says, “In God We Trust.” The Dec. of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are CREATED equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain INALIENABLE (GOD-GIVEN) rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” We have 10 million laws, but if people listened to ten we’d be a lot better off.
In 1980 the Supreme Court erroneously ruled that the first amendment is redefined as freedom FROM religion rather than freedom OF religion. Posting the 10 commandments may cause kids to read them, to ponder them, to venerate them and listen to them” This was unacceptable to the Supreme Court. Words like thou shalt not lie, Steal, kill. Honor your father and mother.” Reading these words was not acceptable. John Adams said, “The Constitution was written for moral people, it is unfit for the government of any other.” Without teaching virtue, we can’t build enough prisons, or hire enough police to tame the sinful nature of man.
John Adams said, “To educate a child without morals is to educate a menace to society.” What good is it to earn a degree in engineering if you use your knowledge to blow up the Oklahoma trade center? Ronald Reagan said, “If we ever forget we are one nation under God, we shall be a nation gone under.”
Who is tampering with the soul of America? The millennial generation’s greatest desire is to discover what is the meaning of human life. Pope John Paul once said, “Happiness is not found in doing what you like, it’s having the right to do what you ought.” Theodore Roosevelt said, “We have the choice now between preserving our Christian heritage and values or reverting back to barbaric paganism.”