Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand?

Red and Blue states

In the last century, we were never been so united as we were during World War Two.  Here is a quote from President Franklin Roosevelt after the attack on Pearl Harbor:

"No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."
 ( American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation (12-08-41) )

Indeed, united we were, at home and abroad, fighting - and winning - a world war on two fronts.

And after September 11, 2001 - at least for the first few weeks - America seemed to be united, again, after the attacks on New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.  The battle cry was - United We Stand.  And this slogan went out on flags, bumper stickers, posters, T-shirts, ...

United We Stand?

Really?  During the 21st century, we seem to have come apart at as shown in the red/blue map above, graphing the results of the 2000 - 2008 presidential elections.  (Red-GOP; Blue-Democrats; purple, a mix of the two.)  And this map has not changed much in 2012.

Let's look at some figures ...

2000

This election was a nail biter, showing Governor Bush narrowly defeating Vice President Gore in the electoral college:  271/267.  But Gore won the popular vote.  Final percentage:  Gore - 48.38% vs Bush - 47.87%

The only election closer was in 1876 when Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden.  Hayes won the electoral college by only one vote - 185/184,  though Tilden won the popular vote by over 200,000.  (Election of 1876)

2004

President Bush got a larger number of electoral votes than his challenger Senator Kerry: 286/251.  But the popular vote was close, within a few points:  Bush - 51% vs. Kerry 48%

2008

Senator Obama defeated Senator McCain in the electoral college:  365/173.  The popular vote margin widened from the last two cycles:  Obama - 53% vs. McCain - 46% - a 7 point spread.

2012

President Obama fended off challenger Governor Romney in the electoral college:  332/206.  But the margin of victory tightened in the popular vote from 2008:  Obama - 51% vs. Romney - 49%

None of the recent elections was a total blow out, like Lyndon Johnson in 1964; Richard Nixon in 1972;  Ronald Reagan in 1984; Bill Clinton in 1996.

Divided we are!

We are now a divided country, and maybe we have not been so divided since the Civil War.  And these divisions go beyond the affiliations with the Democrat/Republic label, but in the falling away from the ideals of the "American Way of Life." (12 Concepts that Shape the American Way of Life)

In his article for the Wall Street Journal, Charles Murray wrote of this growing divide of values in which  the "working class falls further away from institutions like marriage and religion and the upper class becomes more isolated." Here is the link -  it's long, but worth the read:  New American Divide

There need be no essays to convince me.  The America I knew as a girl is not the one I see now in my retirement.  Some would argue this change may be for the better; some - not!  But this change may explain some of the baffling results from 2012 as well as the previous recent election cycles.  In 2012, half the country seems happy with the re-election of the president. Almost half are not.

But no matter who occupies the White House, the country faces daunting challenges - high employment, a stagnant economy, a crushing national debt, exploding federal spending, encroaching government intrusion, loss of personal liberties, a deeply divided electorate  ... to name of few. (Let's Be Clear, The U.S. Economy Is Just Awful - Forbes)

What is the root of all these ailments?  A strong case can be made that ...

The problem is *not* the president.

Say what?  Please check out the video, below:



The source of the problem is religious institutions that have lost touch with life and lost power to guide the people.  And long before YouTube, preachers have been pointing to the root of problems as spiritual, such as ...

Dr. McGee teachings - America needs a Declaration of Dependence
where he sums up three stages in the downfall of a nation

1. Religious Apostasy

2. Moral Awfulness

3. Political Anarchy

I had blogged about this in first post of this series:  Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer

America's decline is not in Washington or the current occupant of the presidency.  It is a heart problem.  And the remedy is revival.  Here are some messages from a few noted spiritual leaders in America:

Dr. J. Vernon McGee -

Even during dark days of rapid decline, a revival can come at the 11th hour.  There is a marvelous example, as in this sermon of the revival under King Josiah:  2 Kings 22:2-23:27 - Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee from Thru the Bible

The Reverend Billy Graham - 

A day after turning 94, Billy Graham writes: "I plan to spend the next 12 months, if God permits, doing all that I am able to do in helping to carry out a fresh vision God has given us—a vision to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every possible place in America by the time of my 95th birthday."":  BGEA - A Fresh Vision for America

Please continue to pray for a revival in America.  

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12
(NIV)

For a prayer for our nation:  click here

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Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

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Photo from wikipedia:  Red and Blue States Map

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer

America Needs
a Declaration
of Dependence

In his booklet of the same name, the author, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, puts forth three steps that precede the downfall of any nation:

1.  Religious Apostasy 

2.  Moral Awfulness

3. Political Anarchy

(Many blogs could be written, filling the details of the three points above.)

As for the United States of America , one of the quotes given in Isaiah - Thru the Bible Radio applies to our current state of affairs:

“America is coasting downhill on a godly ancestry,  and God pity America when we hit the bottom of the hill.”
– Dr. J. Gresham Machen


And Dr. McGee expounds on this downward spiral with an example in history, a summary from the historian Edward Gibbon of the main reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire:

1.  Undermining the dignity and sanctity of the home, which  is the basis of all society

2.  Higher and higher taxes, the spending of public money for free bread and circuses

3.  The mad craze for pleasure, sports becoming every year, more exciting, more brutal, more immoral

4.  The building of great armaments when the great enemy is within — the decay of individual responsibility

5. The decay of religion, fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people

(Reference the booklet - America Needs a Declaration of Dependence)

Sounds like today?

The problems we face today may seem enormous and complex.  But the problems of the day have always seemed so in other times of history.  And clergy (such as Dr. McGee, in point #1)  and historians (such as Edward Gibbon in point #5)  have some consensus that the root cause of  the decline of a nation is spiritual.

Decline has its genesis in religious apostasy as the religious institutions fail to have any meaningful effect in personal lives or provide moral guidance and ballast for the individual, the home, and the nation.

It makes sense that the start of a way out of a downward spiral is to look up.  And we have a great opportunity to pull up out of the tailspin - now.  And a national event coming in the next few days may just be the kick start we need.

This May 3, 2012 has been set aside as the National Day of Prayer.



Is it true ....
"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history" ? 
George Bernard Shaw

Are we doomed by our own amnesia?

Many of our past presidents have relied on prayer, especially during difficult days when it looked the nation would not survive. Such words from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln indicate their dependence on God, as in the link given below:

*  Pray for our President.

Ronald Reagan also said much about prayer and his faith in God, as shown in this clip below, which gives an insight for his optimism in America, even in the troubled times.



Keep praying for America
for ...

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ...  
Psalm 33:12
(NIV)

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Previous posts on similar subjects:


New Years 2012 - the Good worth fighting for! (2011)

America in Decline?!  (2011)

A Royal Inspiration (2011)

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Ecards for National Day of Prayer:

*  Please join me in prayer May 3rd

*  America's Hope

*  May We Remember 

*  Let's Pray

* Testimonies of Prayer

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Photo from Wikipedia:  Capitol Prayer Room