The Ten Leading Societal Principles<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Dr. David M. Berman                                                        www.wakeupandsmellthetruth.com
What has happened to our great country can be traced directly to ten leading principles. There is no way around the fact that these ten indicators tell the story of our nation's prosperity or impoverishment. When I speak of prosperity and impoverishment, I am not simply speaking of financial status. I am speaking in the broader sense concerning conditions of life, culture, relationships, community, crime, moral values, and finances. These ten indicators express the narrative of our present condition. Let us now look at these indicators and see what has happened to our beloved land;
"I am the Lord thy God…Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."
 
The founding principle in the Declaration of Independence is as follows; "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights." This profound statement is the basis for the founding of this nation. The respect for the authority of God was used as the basis for the colonies to separate from England. Since the King of England did not care about God's authority and direction in how he treated the colonies, our founding fathers evoked this principle in their action to break away. This is the very foundation of their claim to do so. Why?...Because they realized the truth of God's existence and the "self evident" truth of individual liberty given by the authority of God. The right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" was in their minds and hearts directly related to God, and His Word. What God are they talking about? The God of the Bible, the only true God! This nation was not founded by people who had an Islamic world-view, a Buddhist world-view, or any other religious world view. This nation was founded by people who had a Biblical view of God.
 
As we have turned away from the principle of having no other Gods before the God of the Bible, we have steadily slipped down a path to destruction morally, culturally, and financially. In this principle we have failed miserably as we have turned our worship from God to worship of false religions, money, self, feelings, and secular humanism.
 
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them."
 
When the Bible speaks here of "not making any graven image" it is not speaking about making a simple statue. It is speaking of making graven images to worship and ascribing some sort of spiritual power to images. The principle is simple not to have idols that we make in place of God. We are not to worship created things either made by man or God. (Romans 1:25) We are only to worship God alone.
 
We have seen a steady increase in idolatry in our nation. The so called "New Age Movement" and "Wiccan" earth worship has gained a strong hold in the lives of many people. The radical environmental movement has a religious quality to it. It is not simply worried about being good keepers of what God gave us. It is for many a radical worship of earth in a pantheistic world-view. There is no doubt that the creation speaks of the Creator, and thus the environment must be treated as the blessing it is. However when concern for the environment turns from appropriate stewardship to the adoration of the created thing rather than the Creator, that philosophy is nothing less than an incredulous insult against God Himself. In this principle we have failed. America has been making many Idols as we have turned away from the true living God.
 
 "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
 
Hardly a day goes by that I do not hear someone taking the name of the Lord in vain. Invoking God as a cuss word is not in keeping with the respect due His awesome love and power. There are two main ways that God's name is used in vain. One, when people say it with no respect of belief in His name. Two, the using of His name in ways that suggest He is in favor of sinful things. On both accounts, we have failed in this principle.
 
 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
 
There was a day in America when people respected Sundays and the day when the Church would gather for worship and families would rest in thankfulness for God. Town sports teams would never play on Sunday mornings since people were in Church. Although we do not live under the law of Moses from the stand point of earning our salvation, there still should be a respect for having that one day to rest, and honor God. Today, even Christian people miss Church because they want to take their kids to play sports on Sunday morning. If you teach your children that sports are more important than Church, do not be surprised when they believe that sports are more important than Church. The world often offers us more money to work on a Sunday. If you regularly teach your children that money is more important than Church do not be surprised when your children believe that money is more important than church. The idea that everything is more important than gathering in church to worship together is sad. It is an abominable position to be in when you have no respect for Church. Church attendance is down every year and that is a horrible indicator of our cultural demise. The less respect we have for church, the less respect we have for God's Word. Without God's Word, we lose the foundational understanding of the self evident truths our founding fathers based this nation on. Biblical illiteracy leads to secular tyranny.
 
  "Honor thy father and thy mother."
 
For many years now liberals have been attempting and succeeding in diminishing parental authority. It is the desire of the left to make the state the main provider of benefits and thus to have the state become mommy and daddy. Any other form may never replace the family. The government only plays the role of destroyer when it replaces the responsibility of the man to protect, and provide for his family. The more government applies itself as father, the more fatherless children there are. The socialist move has only continued this contempt for parents. Schools teach blatant disrespect for parents by constantly working to indoctrinate students with a global socialist anti Christian world view. The government liberals have even worked hard to make sure that a underage girl can get an abortion without parental notification. In Maine, an eleven year old can get birth control pills without parental approval. Where is the honor of God given parental rights? America has failed in this principle.
 
 
"Thou shalt not kill."
 
This commandment is specifically talking about murder (Hebrew word used here for "kill" means "murder"). America has murdered (yes I said murdered!) approximately 50 million unborn children in the name of choice and convenience. This is the worst example of what happens when the conscience of a nation is seared. This indicator is an example of what happens to the "self evident" right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" when the foundational understanding of the first commandment is lost.
 
 
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
 
It is beyond clear that our nation has become fixated on sex without any restraint. Every medium is used to not only express this but also to celebrate adultery. Of course we have always had sexual temptation and also have had cases of adultery. However, now we celebrate it in movies, television, and magazines. There is an alarming rate of this behavior and a "no big deal" sort of attitude about it. This indicator speaks volumes as to our fall from values. The family has broken down largely due to the breaking of this commandment. God ordained sex within marriage to be fully enjoyed however sex without the covenant of marriage leads to intense sexual diseases, and emotional harm.
 
"Thou shalt not steal."
 
One of the worst violators of this commandment is government. Government has ceased to be of the people, for the people, and by the people. It has become a monster unto itself with an insatiable desire to confiscate the wealth of the people through legal extortion. They confiscate and waste our resources based on their lust for power and money. According to every study American Christians continually steal from God in holding back their tithe. Less than 2% of Christians tithe. "Thou shalt not steal" includes not stealing from God or His ministry. The general sense of honesty has broken down as well, and clearly the increase in greed within and without government shows a strong decline in adherence to this commandment.
 
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
 
American culture is now filled with tabloid sensationalism. All you need to do is walk through the checkout line at the grocery store. You will see accusation after accusation about public people. There are news stories with unnamed sources that slander people with various accusations. One of the most intense violations of this commandment is the massive amounts of political ads that show every election season. Candidates from both major parties tell half truths and make blatant false accusations while using comments made out of context. We have become a nation of false witnesses.
 
"Thou shalt not covet."
 
To covet means to expect you have the right to what belongs to someone else. We are not to think that we have right to another person's property or money. The liberals in both parties seem to think that those who work hard and achieve financial prosperity do not have the right to keep it. They seem to think that socialism is the way to fix the "inequality" of one who has  millions, and others not. That is a direct violation of this commandment. We do not have a right to what belongs to another no matter how much they have. With the rise in government power, the increase in socialism, and the intense covetous mind-set of so many, we have failed miserably in this principle as well.
 
I am sorry to bring you this bad news. I take no joy in being the messenger of it. I however must tell the truth as a minister of God's Word and as an American. We have a breakdown in prosperity of finances, family, relationships, societal kindness, life, freedom, and faith. Every single issue that we are struggling with from the breakdown of education to the drug problem, from immorality to abortion, from gang violence to job loss, from loss of respect for parental authority to loss of respect for our political leaders, can all be traced right back to our insipid violations of the Ten Commandments. The only way to save our nation and have it be what it once was is to turn back to God and His Word as individuals. If we continue to thumb our noses at God we shall perish as a nation. We shall go from prosperity of lives in general to impoverishment. This land may be here, and we may be called America, but we shall not be the Constitutional Republic of our founding fathers. There is still time to turn back to God and save our country. Let us endeavor to share the truth of the Bible without political correctness and lead as many as possible to Christ, who is the only giver of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."