This message was forwarded to me by my daughter. It is truly something to think about, Regardless of your beliefs. As for me, my personal quote is, "Where would I be without my LORD"!! Message About Today's World > > "I grew up in rural America in the '50's and '60's. On any given day, > you could walk through the high school parking lot and observe that > half the vehicles parked there were trucks with windows rolled down > and doors unlocked. Most of them carried, as standard equipment, an FFA > >sticker (future Farmers of America for you city folks] and a gun rack > with > at least one gun, usually loaded. You could make the same observation > at any of the four high school campuses in our county. Amazingly, I > do not ever recall reading or hearing about mass shootings in any of > those high schools. > > What has changed in America is not the accessibility of guns, but the > character of man. > > On the wall in my parents home is a plaque awarded to my father in > recognition of service for 27 years on the local school board. He told > me that for years, a standard requirement on every Teacher's contract > was > membership in a local church. > > I remember starting every school day with the pledge and a prayer. I > remember when girls who got pregnant in high school were ashamed, when > abortions were illegal, when the divorce rate was not 50% because > couples stayed together for the kid's sake, when there were no > X-rated movies, when milk cartons didn't have missing kids faces on > them and I didn't know anyone personally who used drugs. I remember when > kids > >were taught respect for authority and accountability to God. > > I hear people say that the good old days weren't always so good but > please don't tell me you think these are better. Last night I attended a > high school football game that was covered by local and national news. > The news coverage was not about the football teams, but about the > defiance > of a court order by one brave little Texas town to preserve the right to > > pray before a football game. > > The more this country struggles to free itself from religion, the more > we become entangled in the consequences. If people are taught that they > came from slime, the obvious questions and consequences must follow; > What > is the purpose of my existence [hopelessness], who made you the boss of > me [lawlessness], why are your rules good and mine bad >[relativism], > what does it matter how I live if I came from slime and return to slime > [immorality and inhumanity]? > > I realize that in any given poll, the vast majority of Americans claim > to believe in God. I claim to believe that running is good for me but > that does not make me a runner. Putting on my running shoes and running > > makes me a runner. The climbing abortion rate, murder rate, divorce > rate, > alcoholism and drug abuse rate, child and spousal abuse rate contradict > that claim and prove that actions speak louder than words. It is an > observable truth that the best time you will ever make on any American > City freeway is on Sunday morning because there are no traffic jams > getting > to church. > > For those who believe that separation of church and state is not enough, > that the world would be better off with no church at all, ask yourself > this question: How many hospitals, universities, orphanages, homeless > and > abuse shelters have been founded by the ACLU or American Atheist > Society? > It is the inclusion of the word Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, > Christian, > etc., in the name of so many of these institutions that proves by > actions, > not just words, who really cares for the suffering of mankind and > desires to > make the world better. > > The question that people should be asking is not "Why does God allow > tragedies?" but "When will we realize that no nation, in the history > of the world, has ever separated itself from God and evolved to a better > > society?" Of course, to answer, you would have to know history. Most > people, > it > would seem, prefer People magazine." > > Joyce Minor > >Asst. Director of Development and Alumni Relations > >University of Alabama School of Law >