How Did it Happen? By Betty Fritz
How did our country ever get so far away from God and the standards most of us grew up with? Did we, as parents, fail to pass on to our children the Biblical truths that most of us were taught? Most of my upbringing was based on good solid information that centered around the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Does this rule not apply anymore? My mother always told us, “nice people don’t do bad things.” Doesn’t anyone want to be “nice” anymore?
Are the schools at fault? Maybe the teachers are too distracted by bad behavior. Some find it so hard to get students to do their homework that they give a passing grade for simply turning it in. Have our standards become so low that people are graduating when barely able to read or write? Writing? Cursive writing is not on most school’s curriculum anymore. A lot of our young people cannot even read or spell well enough to fill out a job application correctly.
I worked for years in a daycare where most of the children came from low income single parent homes. Some of these children arrived at 6:30 in the morning and were not picked up till 5 or 5:30pm. We did our best to keep them safe, well fed and happy while they learned to interact with their peers. Sharing and caring was a huge part of our routines. At first there was lots of hugging and saying “good job!” whenever a goal was accomplished or it was otherwise called for. During the last several years of working with 2, 3 and 4 year-olds, we were told hugging was not allowed unless the child asked for it. “Good job.” was considered praising and too much praising was not good. The word “Don’t” is too negative. Tell the child what he or she can do instead. I retired feeling more like a referee than a teacher as each group of children seemed to grow more aggressive and out of control.
Maybe it was television that changed the way we live. The TV programs I watched growing up usually involved families with familiar problems that were solved within a 30 minute time frame. The outcome was always positive and the parents always open-minded, but fair. We had censors who did not allow certain words or images…anything detrimental to families and children… to be broadcast into our homes. Today there are no lines that haven’t been crossed and not one show during prime time hours that a family can enjoy together. The majority of sitcoms are aimed at an older audience of mostly single adults with very few moral standards. Maybe bringing back censorship and family-oriented programing is a good idea.
News used to be reported only with the facts, today it comes with opinions…and everybody has one. News is on somewhere every minute of the day to keep us informed of what’s happening here at home and across the world. Maybe things are not so much worse in the world, we just hear about more of it than we used to. Is too much news a bad thing?
Then we come to the internet. Facebook is a wonderful way to keep in touch with family and friends and to share thoughts and feelings. What I find so disheartening are some of the comments people make. Too many times instead of offering a helpful or encouraging thought, they blast the person that shared the post or go off on a rant that has little to do with what the post said. If the post has anything to do with religion or Christianity it turns into a debate between Christians and non-believers. Too often it ends with name calling and serves no purpose other than for people to vent.
America has always been known as a Christian nation, so it shocks me to see how many people seriously have no clue as to who Jesus Christ is or why He came. They are convinced that Christians have been brain-washed and are waiting for a God that doesn’t exist. We have a huge job to do if we have a chance at turning this generation back to Jesus. But I truly believe it can be done. Christians have to step up and let His voice rise above all the others. We are His voice and His feet. It’s time to stand up for our faith and freedoms in order that none be left behind. The fate of our world depends on it.
About Betty Fritz:
My name is Betty Fritz. I was born and raised in Texas but have resided in Elkhart, Indiana for the last 25 years. My husband is a Hoosier so that’s how we wound up here. We have two daughters and a son plus 6 grand kids…..3 boys and 3 girls.
I retired last year after working for 24 years at Elkhart Child Development Center. I’ve been writing since a teenager and have taken several writing courses. I enjoy writing short stories. I wrote a book of poems, RHYMES OF THE TIMES, which was published a few years ago. I have written countless songs, a few for which demo recordings have been made. Recently I’ve been writing blogs..most of them about my faith and things the Lord has taught me in my Christian life over the last 51 years. My inspiration comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and my desire to see that my grand children grow up in a Christian nation. My goal is to bring glory to Him and help others to see that there is POWER in the name of JESUS!
