United States of America 250th Birthday

(1 Samuel 15:22) "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,  by Edward Gibbon is 12 volume series (latest version) is a very long way to tell a very much simpler story. 

Rome like many ancient pagan societies had 2 major problems: 1. Pompeii style sexual immorality and 2. Silk Road style substance abuse (opium, hashish, etc.). In fact these vices were reinforced by false pagan religion.  Sex and drugs (sorcery = pharmakia) is what makes pagan religion pagan. Going to the pagan temple and paying to use psychoactive substances and engage in cult prostitution, actually demonstrated pagan religious piety. 

These destructive practices (worshiping the golden calf) have a major societal consequence.  Sex and drugs generate poverty via eroded family values, increased illigitamacy, poor health, and increased Idleness. Poverty and inequality via sin threatens freedom. 

Secret elites (Venetian Black Nobility) set up the Ceasars to came to power promising Social Justice via welfare reforms (free bread and circus) which only serves to enable the poor and keep them poor.  Government welfare, while it aleviates short-term suffering, fails in the long term because its good at redistributing fish but not teaching people how to fish for themselves (no accountibility). 

According to James true religion in contrast, serves to help rehabilitate and prevent poverty while pagan religion generates it.  Pure religion = charity and virtue.  

(James 1:27) "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world". 

The United States of America is the greatest country in the history of the world (in spite of our sins of slavery and oppression) because of our overall virtue.  Virtue and equality of opportunity generates increased social capital and trust in a society.  Increased social capital generates greater innovation.

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  --John Adams

Like the US, Rome's economic and political problems were really a false religion problem. Rome's sex and drug problems led to a trade deficit with China (silk road), greater poverty,  crippling social welfare program, and demographic collapse. The economic problems led to a need for empire expansionism (tribute),  and expansionism led to needing to import barbarian mercenaries to serve in the Roman legions (Marian Reforms = Dream Act). 

Eventally Rome was bankrupt, they cut welfare benefits to the Barbarian mercenaries (Foeterati) who revolted, conducted an insurection, assassinated Orestes, deposed Romulus Augustulus and divided the empire. 

Long story short.  If we wish to help our economic and political problems; we really need to address our religious and spiritual problems first.

(Matthew 7:21) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven".