Why, and how is it possible, that decades-old and influential American institutions are now in the process of destroying themselves?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #152 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Referring to institutions in the West and specifically in the United States, writer and scientist Alan Joseph Bauer recently noted, “One institution after another is destroying itself, its credibility, and its influence.” 

It’s like American institutions are on a bender, rapidly adopting wrong, injurious ideas and practices based upon evil values diametrically opposed to what America has stood for since its founding.

For example, “the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to stop its offensive in Rafah. Israel will not stop its offensive in Rafah…By demanding that Israel stop fighting a critical part of its campaign to destroy Hamas, the ICJ has shown that it cannot stop Israel and is a paper tiger.”

“This empty ICJ order is one more step in the decline of the post-war major institutions that for seventy years have played outsized roles in world affairs…the FBI and DoJ have beclowned themselves to the point where nobody believes them any longer.”

“What we are witnessing is the self-destruction of major institutions, national and international. The UN, through its billion-dollar (United Nations Relief and Works Agency or) UNRWA office, was an active part of Hamas’ activities in Gaza. Their staff and facilities provided Hamas with a large part of their manpower and infrastructure.”

“The universities have made complete fools of themselves. Professors, once highly respected scholars…run interference for their demented students. Those students, after four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, don’t know which river to which sea, could not find Gaza on a map, and are completely clueless as to what actually happened on 10/7.”

Given the number of public-school boards now dominated by woke ideologues, the rabid commitment of public educators to LGBTQ and specifically trans activism, declining productivity in learning, increases in school violence and safety concerns, and curricula given over to critical race theory racism, and the indisputable fact that while universities tout diversity, equity, and inclusion, there is a decided lack of conservative voices, i.e. intellectual diversity, allowed on campus, the public is losing confidence in all levels of public education.

The medical profession, once sitting atop the totem pole of respect in American culture, is increasingly seen as a vast bureaucracy given over to dependency on government funding, overpriced medical insurance, declining scientific rigor in assessing disease, and increasing politicization seen in the COVID-19 and vaccination experience, the willingness to mutilate children in the name of trans affirmation, and an unhealthy inclination to prescribe addictive drugs.

Mainstream media lie about political matters and candidates every day, so much so that media has suffered enormous drops in credibility and for some, even viability, going out of business.

Social media, though it has grown in number of users, has declined in credibility. About 59% of American adults do not trust news on social media. Too many stories, with documentation, of Big Social Media intentionally peddling disinformation about C-19, masks, vaxxes; too many stories, with documentation, demonstrating how Big Social Media intentionally shut down conservative websites and accounts – most prominently when then-named Twitter discontinued Pres. Donald Trump’s account for what they said was a “risk of further incitement to violence” – and then evidence of Big Social Media liberal bias, anti-free speech policies, and arrogance all combined to reduce the public’s trust of social media.

“Hollywood used to be the source of American entertainment. Hollywood made the movies and later TV shows that kept Americans busy and entertained. Those days are mostly behind us. Today, movie studios insist on lecturing or looking down on the audience.” The studios seem to want to virtue signal by being the studio that speaks the loudest about an alphabet of sexual proclivities. One movie after another is going woke, then going broke. This includes Disney, and this includes the video gaming industry.

The Trump trials are shredding what was left of respect for the criminal justice system. This follows the post-George Floyd riots of 2020, the so-called “Summer of love” featuring demonstrations laughably described in media coverage as “mostly peaceful” as fires raged behind the reporter, which destroyed billions of dollars of property, a significant portion belonging to minorities.

Then came the advent of what’s been called “rogue prosecutors,” which is to say, city, county, and state elected law enforcement officials who refuse to enforce the law. “Progressive” prosecutors sabotage the rule of law, raise crime rates, and ignore victims.”

“They believe the entire criminal justice system is racist. It’s absurd, but they believe it.”

The U.S. military, once considered the greatest and best in world history, is becoming a pale reflection of itself, thanks largely to Biden Administration policies emphasizing DEI over preparedness. “Today's American military has fully embraced the social imperatives of the Left and the most progressive aspects of American society. The U.S. Air Force selects officers based on a race- and sex-based quota system for officer applicants—an affirmative action program that would make the Ivy League blush.”

Over-commitment to woke social goals, including vigorous promotion of trans ideology, alongside decreasing and under-commitment to patriotism, readiness, and excellence, has translated to the US military failing to meet its annual recruiting needs. Young Americans don’t see opportunity, patriotic pride, and esprit de corps but rather division, rancor in the ranks, absence of earned stature, and dead-end.

Churches, or religion, is also suffering a decline in credibility. Many churches are shooting themselves in the foot, going woke, then, like entertainment, inevitably, going broke. These churches think the way to save the world is not by sharing the Gospel but by blowing with whatever new wind is passing.

If it’s a new idea, if it is not traditional Christianity, it must be good, so let’s jump on that bandwagon. 

Climate change is one of those new winds blowing. Churches in Europe and now in the U.S. are drinking the Kool-Aid of this latest culture of death. Soon, the church offers nothing different from the world, for the church is the world.

American institutions are in decline. Actually, they are one by one committing suicide through their own, active efforts to advance ideas and values contrary to and directly undermining the historic ideals that made America strong in the first place.

Our culture now “believe(s) in an ever-evolving world where moral standards are not constant, not absolute, are to be defined by the individual (or government), where there is no God to provide a fixed, final answer for mankind’s reason for existence, for mankind’s hopes, for mankind’s guidance. We live in a world today where the zeitgeist is defined by Darwinian, Marxian, naturalistic, materialistic atheism—no God will save us, we must save ourselves. Our “god” thus becomes whatever each individual wants him (or her) to be. Everybody defines their own purpose for existence, their own carnal lifestyle, their own personal moral code.”

This all sounds so liberating, so nice to do what’s right in our own eyes with no one to whom we report or are held accountable.

It sounds like, at last, humanity has evolved to a level of self-sufficient pleasantry wherein life is one long bacchanalia.

Charles Darwin thought humanity would evolve without God. But we’re devolving. No God, no truth, no morality, no accountability equals no sense of purpose, progress, or hope – just meaninglessness, which human beings can’t endure so we strike out in anarchistic nihilism. Chaos. 

Look what’s happening in American and European cities, everyday in the streets. Look what’s happening to our social institutions.

You’ve heard it said that ideas have consequences. Embrace the wrong ideas and reap negative results.

America needs a spiritual awakening, and soon.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com.  

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024   

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