The Devastating Power
of Sexual License
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Many people recognize the decline our
society is in. Much ink has been spilled
on the subject. Those who can read the
signs of the times understand that this decline is not primarily economic or
military, it is moral. And it’s not
really a decline; it’s a free-fall.
Those who understand what is happening
also recognize that the eroding of sexual morality is not on the periphery, it
is right at the center. In this post, I
want to summarize an interesting article from the AFA Journal,
which reflects on the work of two non-religious social scientists from the last
century.
J.D. Unwin and Pitirim Sorokin
published some very interesting studies cataloging the decline of cultures
throughout history. One of the universal
characteristics in cultural decay, after the period of creative growth had
turned to stagnation, has been a changing attitude toward monogamy and the
institution of marriage.
As extramarital sexual activity
becomes more accepted in a society and the family begins to break down, a
“sexual anarchy” emerges and ushers in a society that casts aside
self-discipline in almost all areas and becomes obsessed with pleasure and self-indulgence. The result that follows is not hard to guess.
This pattern has been evident in our
culture for nearly 100 years, but especially since the “sexual revolution”
nearly 50 years ago. We’ve seen sexual
morals cast aside, divorce rates skyrocket, contraception and abortion become
commonplace, and now the definition of marriage itself under attack.
The destruction these evils have left
in their wake is now manifest in every aspect of life. Like that of so many other social scientists,
the conclusions these men’s research seems to point to is that we are in the
later stages of cultural collapse.
But there is a silver lining in Unwin’s
and Sorokin’s work. Remembering that
neither of the men was religious, it is interesting to note that they conclude
that historically there has always been a minority who have resisted this
cultural decline, maintained a commitment to sexual restraint and marriage, and
become “morally heroic.” This group of
“counter-revolutionaries” has, on occasion, won back a culture that has grown
mired in decline.
The bad news, however, is that, “Most
peoples and leaders of decaying societies were unaware of their cancerous
sickness,” according to Sorokin. “They
continued to live in a fool’s paradise, and hopefully looked forward to the
realization of their unrealistic dreams.
Their leaders attacked all honest appraisals of the situation and called
them false prophecies of doom and gloom.”
It’s hard to believe these words were written in 1956, about a trend
studied in historic cultures. I’ve seen
very little that has better characterized our own time and place.
The conclusions we can draw from these
men’s work and apply to ourselves are clear.
First, history agrees that it is the culture and not us, that is crazy. Second, we can only expect more persecution,
especially from the cultural leaders in media, politics, etc. Third, people of faith are the only hope our
culture has to survive. We already knew
this because Christ Himself is the only true source of hope. If our society is not to survive, however, our
faithfulness and moral heroism (achieved only through the Grace of God) will be
the legacy our age leaves in Heaven.
