Are we seeing the end of the (dis) United States?

Aussie Pete

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This article, courtesy of ABC Australia, the publicly owned broadcaster, is a sobering assessment of the current political situation in the USA. The one factor left out of the analysis (hardly surprising) is God. Unfortunately, God is increasingly left out of American society. So no one should be surprised at the current state of affairs in the US.

The problem at the heart of this week's crisis goes deeper than Trump

Is the article factual? Are the conclusions correct? I don't agree with everything stated in the article, but the general theme is hard to argue against. Agree? Or not?
 
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iluvatar5150

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This article, courtesy of ABC Australia, the publicly owned broadcaster, is a sobering assessment of the current political situation in the USA. The one factor left out of the analysis (hardly surprising) is God. Unfortunately, God is increasingly left out of American society. So no one should be surprised at the current state of affairs in the US.

The problem at the heart of this week's crisis goes deeper than Trump

Is the article factual? Are the conclusions correct? I don't agree with everything stated in the article, but the general theme is hard to argue against. Agree? Or not?

We were far more divided when religious piety was a more visible part of every day life.
 
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childeye 2

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This article, courtesy of ABC Australia, the publicly owned broadcaster, is a sobering assessment of the current political situation in the USA. The one factor left out of the analysis (hardly surprising) is God. Unfortunately, God is increasingly left out of American society. So no one should be surprised at the current state of affairs in the US.

The problem at the heart of this week's crisis goes deeper than Trump

Is the article factual? Are the conclusions correct? I don't agree with everything stated in the article, but the general theme is hard to argue against. Agree? Or not?
We're not perfect and that's for sure. God's grace is always a comfort. The issue is telling facts from spin. With the rise of social media and competing narratives, I have hope that the generations that follow will come to see through God's grace how to tell truth from lies.
 
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timothyu

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Good is called bad and bad is called good. Same destructive policy that occurs with the downfall of every institution throughout history. Destructive because it follows the pattern set up by self serving man who took it upon themselves to seek gain at the expense of others then self justify it by self determining what is good or evil to fit with their agenda. It applies to all sides as that is the default way of man. Nothing lasts for a reason and that reason is because we are who we are. That of course will be less obvious to those who are completely into the world of self.
 
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Halbhh

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This article, courtesy of ABC Australia, the publicly owned broadcaster, is a sobering assessment of the current political situation in the USA. The one factor left out of the analysis (hardly surprising) is God. Unfortunately, God is increasingly left out of American society. So no one should be surprised at the current state of affairs in the US.

The problem at the heart of this week's crisis goes deeper than Trump

Is the article factual? Are the conclusions correct? I don't agree with everything stated in the article, but the general theme is hard to argue against. Agree? Or not?

Are we seeing the end of the (dis) United States?

Answer: no, and for a specific reason.

Sure, there is some discord (or some highly visible discord). We are at worst in a situation slightly (not as bad) like the 1850s in terms of discord -- maybe...1/5th as bad -- something that can be a lot easier to repair.

Now, it's true that in the end, a nation flourishes to the extent its ordinary people follow do good, such as distilled in Matthew 7:12.

But, news, from a distance, focuses on wrongs and troubles.

Up close, inside American, you could (if you were here) see a lot of good that happens everyday, constantly.

That's the real picture, that more complete one.
 
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Aussie Pete

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We were far more divided when religious piety was a more visible part of every day life.
There never were any good old days, that's for sure. It seems to me that God was like the glue holding a disparate bunch of states together. Push God out and look what is happening. When was the last time that the Capitol was taken over by a mob?
 
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Aussie Pete

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Are we seeing the end of the (dis) United States?

Answer: no, and for a specific reason.

Sure, there is some discord (or some highly visible discord). We are at worst in a situation slightly (not as bad) like the 1850s in terms of discord -- maybe...1/5th as bad -- something that can be a lot easier to repair.

Now, it's true that in the end, a nation flourishes to the extent its ordinary people follow do good, such as distilled in Matthew 7:12.

But, news, from a distance, focuses on wrongs and troubles.

Up close, inside American, you could (if you were here) see a lot of good that happens everyday, constantly.

That's the real picture, that more complete one.
I visited the US in 1994, courtesy of my job. I was there for 3 weeks. I visited again in September 2016, courtesy of my superannuation payout. The difference was marked.
  • Freedom of expression. No problem in 1994, 2016 swamped by the PC, virtue signalling leftists. I was amazed at the range of opinions that could be expressed in 1994. Far better than Australia. Not so much now.
  • General impressions. 1994 - people were friendly, confident, helpful and hospitable. 2016 - People were unhappy, distracted, disillusioned, but still very helpful.
  • Travel. 1994 - much easier, security checks very basic. 2016. Two hours to get through LAX.
Of course I don't live in the US and yes, media delights in bad news. But I could see a contrast between my two visits that troubles me.
 
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There never were any good old days, that's for sure. It seems to me that God was like the glue holding a disparate bunch of states together. Push God out and look what is happening. When was the last time that the Capitol was taken over by a mob?

You might want to read up on what happened between 1860 and, say, 1970. This is a cakewalk compared to some of the race riots, civil rights & vietnam protests, and the civil war. God was front and center on both sides in the fight over slavery. Now that he's supposedly gone, we have what is essentially a living, breathing cartoon character leading a band of uncoordinated wackos hopped up on Red Bull and conspiracy theories. We still have problems, but I'd take ours over the old ones any day.
 
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timothyu

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Now that he's supposedly gone, we have what is essentially a living, breathing cartoon character leading a band of uncoordinated wackos hopped up on Red Bull and frest conspiracy theories. We still have problems, but I'd take ours over the old ones any day.
Time to focus on the coming global Great Reset bbb invasion which Biden referred to
 
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Halbhh

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Don't forget that God was shamelessly mentioned in pop music and media and accepted as a natural thing to insert in '94 as compared to now
Well, it's actually noticeable to me to there has been an increase in references to God in popular culture, including even news anchors like at ABC news, for instance.

I had been tending to notice an increasing adoption of atheist positions/premises/assumtuons throughout culture -- everywhere! -- over the last 8 or 10 years especially....

But in the last couple of years there has been in contrast less of those No-God ways of taking, and more ways of speaking that presume God!

That doesn't mean we are out of the woods!

But the bad trend has been stopped for a moment at least, and a good one has been in its place. Just in the last 2 or so years that I notice.
 
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timothyu

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But the bad trend has been stopped for a moment at least, and a good one has been in its place. Just in the last 2? or so years that I notice.
There is a difference between those who mention God to use Him to defend their positions, and those who actually change their ways to follow God's will which is love all as self. Do those mentioning God today have an agenda or are they truly loving of all and not taking sides in the games of man (especially in the media)?
 
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Greengardener

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Like most news articles, there are pieces of truth tied together with a suggested theme. I would guess, Pete, that each of us has a different view. Good for the author to call out the hypocrisy; while I am both hopeful and concerned for our republic and the overall well-written constitution and balance of power suggested in our founding, I couldn't help but agree with the author that people have managed to use this authority for wrong purposes even while appearing to condemn others who did the same thing. This is a concerning time for America.
 
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Aussie Pete

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You might want to read up on what happened between 1860 and, say, 1970. This is a cakewalk compared to some of the race riots, civil rights & vietnam protests, and the civil war. God was front and center on both sides in the fight over slavery. Now that he's supposedly gone, we have what is essentially a living, breathing cartoon character leading a band of uncoordinated wackos hopped up on Red Bull and conspiracy theories. We still have problems, but I'd take ours over the old ones any day.
I remember those days too. I'm 69. I was based at Pearl Harbor for a month. There was a good deal of racial conflict on the base. Sure, the (most un-)civil war was a terrible start to USA's history. People make claims about God's supporting one side or the other. I can assure you that God does not take sides. He is wholly righteous in everything that He says and does.Trying to co-opt God to a particular political cause will not work.

My concerns are about US society as a whole. Either it will implode or become a homogenous, PC, suppressed society where dissenting views are crushed. How long before it is illegal to say that people are sinners? How long before the Bible is banned as hate speech? Francis Chan thinks it is not far away. There has been an attempt to stop certain parts of the Bible being quoted here in Australia. It backfired on the one who proposed it, but there is certainly a group that would welcome it.
 
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Guinan

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I don't think it's the end of the US. I do think it's the beginning of the end of popular widespread trumpism.

I sincerely hope it's the beginning of the end of Trumpism, Elliewaves.
 
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