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I agree. But unfortunately, it starts at the top. The POTUS receives no negative consequences for his actions, even for those actions that are are illegal, violate the Constitution, violate the norms of a modern civilized society, or violate the norms of American morality.
When the rest of the country sees that the elected President can do whatever he wants with no consequences, of course the rest of the country feels they should have no consequences either. Kind of like a role model thing?
Instead of consequences now, it appears that if one can get away with one's actions, they are being 'smart.' And when any politicians with morals goes against the party line, they are 'primaried' or voted out, so consequences for showing a backbone and sticking to principles can actually be viewed as punishment.
This is a cultural shift in American morality, and I don't see it changing as long as we are on the road we are on with the current leaders in power. We are living in a society where 'consequences' are not defined as being punished for not doing the right thing. Consequences may be punishment for doing the right thing.
I think we can safely say that the US has become a bizarro world where consequences are not based on morality, doing the 'right' thing, or doing what you believe is the principled action to take, but consequences may instead result from not obeying the 'mob mentality" of those wielding power (or imagined power).
You make it sound as though Trump being the POTUS has caused this downward shift in morality. It started years before, probably around the time abortion was made legal. We basically said life is NOT valuable or sacred.
I agree with this even though I'm not religious. I was raised in a rural environment that was very "Maybery" like. We were taught good morals and values that are basically the ten commandments. I think a lot of people have a strong internal moral compass but other don't and there fore need something to remind them of how to behave and act. That is what religion is for. Unfortunately, as you said the church has also lost it's way and focuses on other things.
I disagree, if you looked at the time when Jesus walked the earth and the things he was teaching, the secular powers at the time, HATED and despised him and his followers, mainly because it lessened their control over the people.
I tend to think if mainstream christianity was truly teaching Gods laws the secular powers that be today, would hate and despise them and anyone who follows them too, they would go to extreme lengths to keep churches out of the community and shut those down already there.
Besides that Jesus himself warned us one day his faithful would be hated and despised just as he was, and it would be due to his name (his laws), look around today...the only religious groups I see that are truly hated and despised is the likes of Westboro Baptist!
This should be a big red flag that something is NOT right, churches and secular govts SHOULD NEVER get along or be good civil 'friends' so to speak, this would mean some serious compromise and settling is taking place.
Another thing, that I feel that many people are not thinking of when it comes to this topic..
...Patriotism does not equal obedience/subservience, or vice versa. Someone cannot be 'patriotic' AND be a good upstanding citizen at the same time.(especially not under the govt we have in place today), as Ive said before REAL patriotism would look more like domestic terrorism today, it would be citizens rising up, revolting, removing govt from power...that is not going to happen peacefully! A tyrannical govt is going to do anything it can to keep its power and control.
If we look at most of the american patriots that are celebrated today, they broke laws, destroyed property, some resorted to violence, etc, they were most certainly not viewed as 'patriots' at the time they were doing these things either, it took time for that recognition to come.
I know it's inconvenient, and many (especially younger people) don't like to hear it, but it's mostly due to a loss of spiritual values in this country. I'm talking about The Golden Rule, even an eye-for-an-eye.
People used to have a sense of wrongs and rights, and had a gut sensation when they did something knowingly wrong. It was taught that wrongs had consequences, and that they would catch up with us. And so, even if we "messed up", we had to correct them. It's not that there were less errors and wrongs before, just that now we mostly ignore them and move on (looking the other way).
I've lived long enough to see the gradual change over the decades. I have no doubt about its main source. It also shows up in cultural and media changes - which also influences people - but those still go back to the same root change.
Even many in modern churches are just as shallow as those on the outside. They no longer represent the ways and values of the past. They're just as much of the problem, and maybe even more so.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
It seems to me that we haven't lost our belief in consequences but rather we have lost our belief in redemption.
It seems to me that we used to believe that a man could "do his time" and return to society. The implications of our justice system was that people could make mistakes, learn from them, and be reformed. At some point though "doing his time" was lost and replaced with "getting him off of the street." We stopped beleiving in redemption and began to think of criminality as a permanent state. We made it next to impossible for felons to reintegrate into society and created databases of offenders to permanently mark the "unworthy." We created mandatory minimums to prevent judges from being lenient and started charging younger and younger children as adults for increasingly less serious crimes.
Our prison population has increased 500% over the last 40 years and the length of criminal sentences has increased 200%.* Is it any wonder then that people might not want to take responsibility? If they do they will be permanently labeled a criminal and cut off completely from society.
Our Constitution been slowly shredded by "tough on crime" politicians as what was once Cruel and Unusual has slowly become more and more usual...
I think it's time we Make America Great Again not by increasing are persecution of others but rather by returning to our belief in redemption as taught in the New Testament and enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
I agree. But unfortunately, it starts at the top. The POTUS receives no negative consequences for his actions, even for those actions that are are illegal, violate the Constitution, violate the norms of a modern civilized society, or violate the norms of American morality.
When the rest of the country sees that the elected President can do whatever he wants with no consequences, of course the rest of the country feels they should have no consequences either. Kind of like a role model thing?
Instead of consequences now, it appears that if one can get away with one's actions, they are being 'smart.' And when any politicians with morals goes against the party line, they are 'primaried' or voted out, so consequences for showing a backbone and sticking to principles can actually be viewed as punishment.
This is a cultural shift in American morality, and I don't see it changing as long as we are on the road we are on with the current leaders in power. We are living in a society where 'consequences' are not defined as being punished for not doing the right thing. Consequences may be punishment for doing the right thing.
I think we can safely say that the US has become a bizarro world where consequences are not based on morality, doing the 'right' thing, or doing what you believe is the principled action to take, but consequences may instead result from not obeying the 'mob mentality" of those wielding power (or imagined power).
"Because...Trump" (or insert your POTUS of choice) is the weakest possible excuse for behaving immorally.
While I agree that our politicians should hold themselves to the highest standards (and we should hold them as well) I think that this is a cop-out because it leaves out the most important factor in the development of a person's moral compass: good parenting.
I have worked as a teacher for many years and can tell you without hesitation that the single most important factor in the development of a person's character, sense of accountability and responsibility, and all of the other characteristics that people note the loss of on a daily basis is their upbringing in a house where those things are taught by example.
If you want to make the biggest possible impact on the future generation: be a good parent. This is the only real locus of control that we have. Anything else (mentoring, teaching, etc.) has less of an effect because of how powerful negative forces in the home can be. I have heard it stated that a person learns more between the ages of 0 and 6 than they do between 6 and 60. I don't know if that's an exaggeration, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of character development in a person happens before the age of 10. I'm not suggesting that teachers, other family members, mentors, etc. cannot make a difference, but if someone neglects to teach their kids well or behaves questionably in front of their children, you can bet your boots that the children will behave questionably as well (and this will carry into adulthood).
I have been noticing that consequences seem to have been put aside and lost. When I was a kid and I screwed up, I got a crack on the ass. Eventually you kind of pick up that there are consequences to actions. Good or bad habits/deeds relate to actions taken later.
Is your credit card bill too high? Don't let the credit card company trick you into paying it. WTF? You owe $100,000. in back taxes? Let us settle this for a fraction of what you owe???
If you didn't come here illegally, none of this would be happening. If you didn't put a bullet in that guys head, you wouldn't be in prison. If you didn't steal some ones stuff...
People know this. It doesn't matter where you came from. people know this. You did it. It is your fault, it really is.
Being too spoiled or being too poor or being too anything is not excuse enough
Gotta go, the blood pressure is climbing
You need to choose those in your social group more carefully. I'm only somewhat being sarcastic about this. Your character is defined by the quality of the company you keep. Think about that.
You need to choose those in your social group more carefully. I'm only somewhat being sarcastic about this. Your character is defined by the quality of the company you keep. Think about that.
I think you're correct...sort of.
As a Buddhist, we are taught that it is important to wisely choose those you associate with.
The problem is that all too many people choose whom they associate with based on skin color or country origin. I have personally seen white Americans who will turn their back on a fine upstanding Black or Latino person, or person from another country, and then choose to associate with low life scum...who happen to also be white.
As a Buddhist, we are taught that it is important to wisely choose those you associate with.
The problem is that all too many people choose whom they associate with based on skin color or country origin. I have personally seen white Americans who will turn their back on a fine upstanding Black or Latino person, or person from another country, and then choose to associate with low life scum...who happen to also be white.
And that is a terrible shame that reflects poorly on those who turn their back on good people who do not share their national or ethnic background.
Physics holds true. For every action there is an equal opposite reaction. How quickly it arrives is another time speculum ...
Someone has to pay the piper. Not always the one accountable though.
Sadly I've witnessed the old saying...the sins of the father are paid by his son's...
So there is the consequence or payback....ad nauseam.
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