Tale of Two Cities: Rome & Washington — One Fell, One Headed There?
Washington, D.C. and Rome. The capitols of two of the greatest nations on Earth. Both nations have contributed much to civilization. Of course, long before Italy, there was the Roman Empire, and before that, the Roman Republic (which had been preceded by a monarchy). The Roman Empire would be divided up, and eventually become two separate empires- the Roman Empire in the West and the Byzantine Empire in the East. The Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., and the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453 A.D.
Why did the Roman Empire collapse? Many reasons are given, including those in Edward Gibbon’s book The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The most likely reasons were political weaknesses (e.g. corruption, civil war, too much territory to govern, constant barbarian invasions), economic decline, and social decay (particularly immorality). Thus, the fall of the Roman Empire was a combination of interacting factors.
Does America face a similar situation? Our economy is not in the best shape, especially since the national doubt soared due to an ever-expanding government that constantly borrows money. Meanwhile, our nation has its share of enemies, ranging from China and North Korea to the Islamist threat. Finally, there is moral decay, e.g. abortion, lack of family values. Although I do believe big government must be reigned in and national security is of vital importance due to the constant threats America faces, I will be focusing on the moral decay issue. In fact, I will focus on one particular aspect– homosexuality.
Many years ago, while returning from a family trip, I was listening to a Catholic radio program, in which the priest on the show compared the moral decay in America (e.g. homosexuality) to that of the Roman Empire. He went on to say that he believed homosexuality would result in the downfall of America. His words appear to be prophetic.
The gay activists are aggressively pushing their agenda (and lifestyle) down our throats and they do not play nice. Those who speak out against the homosexual lifestyle or the homosexual agenda face ridicule, accusations of being prejudiced, frequent intimidation, and even violence.
Such incidents of violence are not limited to the recent beating of a pastor by gay activists. In fact, one family in San Francisco (the epicenter of homosexuality) has endured constant harassment, death threats, and even their home being firebombed. This family’s story can be read in the book When the Wicked Seize A City.
In addition to their tactics of intimidation and violence, gay activists have argued that there is nothing wrong with homosexual behavior. Gay activists display signs stating that Jesus was a homosexual on the grounds that he loved his fellow disciples. Other claims they make include the Bible having mistranslations, Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed not because of homosexual behavior but because the people in those cities did nothing to help the poor, and other Biblical figures being gay. Meanwhile, I wonder how they try to persuade other religions that homosexual behavior is morally just.