Common Sense No Longer Prevails

by: Gary L. Hutchens

 Common sense ought to be a rule of thumb in virtually every aspect of life. It also should prevail in formulating the direction taken by any society. For quite some time our society has been steadily moving in a direction that displays a lack of common sense. A recent example demonstrated how speaking out for the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman brought criticism, scorn, castigation and possibly even punishment to the one who dared to so speak publicly. We are now at a point where it is safe to say, to a great extent, common sense no longer prevails!

 Much of the driving force behind this continual shift is ideological. Still, it is difficult to understand how even dyed in the wool ideologues cannot see the absurdity and potential destructiveness of many of their positions. As a society we’re no longer just drifting, we’re now rushing headlong toward the precipice overlooking a deep chasm, and our brakes seem to be failing.
 At the base of the movement is the goal to secularize our society. The powers that be, and they have grown very powerful, are pushing to remove from the public scene any official admission of recognition of and responsibility toward God. The progress of this movement has been unfolding before our eyes for the last few decades.
 No prayer in public schools, including during graduation ceremonies and before sporting events. Nothing is allowed to be included in public school textbooks that might challenge the theory of evolution by suggesting the possibility of intelligent design. In many workplaces employees are not allowed to read a Bible, even during break times.
 Many stores changed their practice from wishing customers a “Merry Christmas” to wishing them “Happy Holidays.” The point is not whether or not Christmas is sanctioned in scripture, but rather the purposeful intent to erase any official recognition, even a mention, of Christianity from the public scene. The Pledge of Allegiance is being challenged as being unconstitutional because it mentions God. The same line of reasoning is being used to attempt to strike from our official currency the statement “In God We Trust.” These are but a few examples.
 When God is officially removed from the public conscience, the door is opened to all kinds of immorality, for there is no real standard for morality without God. Society itself is certainly no standard. Supposedly sophisticated societies have sanctioned slavery, infanticide of newborn babies not wanted by their parents, even barbaric killing in arenas as a form of entertainment for the masses.
 Government, left to its own reasoning, is not a reliable standard for morality. History is filled with accounts of horror leveled on populations by their own government leaders. One need only to remember recent examples such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Note what is happening today under government leadership in China, North Korea and Iran.
 We had better wake up, for God has warned that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). If we continue to “sow the wind,” we should not be surprised when we “reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7). We need desperately to return to common sense, for right now we are pretty much at a point where common sense no longer prevails…