Where have I seen this before?

The above question is usually asked when something happens that has happened before.....Well, while on an unrelated search for something for my message on the 27th...I came across something that verifies the old adage "Everything old is new again".....

In the book, Quotable Quotations, Lloyd Cory quotes Edward Gibbon, the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and Gibbons gives five major reasons that caused the decline and fall of the empire:

1. An undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes, and spending public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. A mad craze for pleasure, with pastimes becoming every year more exciting, brutal, and immoral.
4. Building great armaments, although the real enemy was within-the decay of individual responsibility.
5. Decay of religion-faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and losing power to guide the people.

Now Gibbon wrote his book in the 1770's and he was talking about the Roman Empire, but if you look at the above, to some it may seem that he is talking about the 21st century West:

1. How often do we see the "traditional" family ridiculed today? In countries like Germany and Sweden, prosecution comes against those who try to homeschool their children and in Sweden's case, they have even taken a child away from their parents to be raised by the state. We see marriage reduced to two people who love each other; no matter the persuasion.
2. We see our taxes raised and raised almost yearly and where does it go? Welfare, social security, programs for art and culture; etc...(and woe to the politican who tries to take a stand against lowering the benefits) and many have gotten addicted to these governmental benefits, making no effort whatsoever to free themselves from the addiction....
3. Need more evidence....watch your televison sets and see what the programming offers; go to the movies (If you saw the blog entry "Darker?" http://1ncisfan.blogspot.com/2011/07/darker.html, then you know I'm talking about)...Would we have even tolerated a "Jersey Shore", "Desperate Housewives", etc....a generation ago???
4. Some liberals may say "yea" about the armaments, but how about taking care of things in society, like gangs, abortion, homelessness, drugs, etc.... and I'm not talking about spending money on them, but taking care of them BEFORE they even happen???
5. And the church? Is it still the church? What is eminiating from the pulpits....I wrote earlier about the teaching that I recieved growing up in the church http://1ncisfan.blogspot.com/2011/07/solid-thought.html; is it still being taught? Or have we become a oasis for people to come and feel good about themselves and be entertained.....Do we remember as Chuck Colson has said: "The role of the church is not to make men and women happy, it is to make them holy"? Do we preach Jesus as Savior who died for our sins or are we afraid to offend?

We all know how the Roman empire ended...being swallowed by the barbarians,...if we don't change what kind of barbarians will swallow us up? Will it be the "muslim barbarians", the "chinese barbarians", the "secular barbarians"? If we don't turn around, future generations may study us the same way we did the Romans and wonder "Where have I seen this before?"