WHEN DONKEYS DO THE DRIVING

Dennis Prager, in his book, The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code, writes, “A society can survive bad donkey drivers. But it cannot survive contempt for truth—whether inside or outside a courtroom.” I will add to this, that a society’s chances for survival are slim to none when donkeys, contemptuous of truth, are doing the driving.

We have a nation now where “donkey drivers” – in the sense of donkeys doing the driving, are, for the most part, “driving” our institutions. We have people now, with the competence and moral conscientiousness of donkeys, posing as leaders now in our halls of government, our mass media, in our schools, and even, to no small degree in churches.

We have donkeys in the drivers’ seats of America’s institutions now who stupidly and happily have assigned outlaw status to The Ten Commandments, which embody the principles within which this nation was birthed, and upon which it was designed to prosper and survive. Our founding Fathers understood this perfectly, and warned us accordingly. Consider mega-church "pastor" Andy Stanley's recently published pontification that the Ten Commandments are no longer relevant, and that public displays of them are inappropriate.

"Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people. The general government . . .

can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or

any despotic or oppresive form so long as there is any virtue in the body of the people.”

— George Washington

"The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired

into our People, in a great Measure, than they have it now. They may change their Rulers,

and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.

—John Adams

"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any

virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea."

—James Madison

“Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders

us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered,

fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger.

—Patrick Henry

The above is just a very small sampling of almost identical quotes from the political and religious leaders who physically fought for our Independence and who framed our system of government.(These quotations can easily be referenced on the Internet). Today however, America is probably, practically bereft of people with the character of a George Washington, Patrick Henry or Abigail Adams. It has few men in its pulpits with the spiritual stature of a Jonathan Edwards of a John Witherspoon. Instead, our political and religious landscape is littered with the likes of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi and Andy Stanley and Joyce Meyers.

Truth is being thrown into the street overtly and outrageously by America’s political, educational and media elites. And these are those who believe themselves qualified to manage the thoughts and micromanage the lives, of the rest of us. Journalist Mark Steyne, in a recent speech delivered at Hillsdale College said, “There is something appalling about being condescended to by an elite as stupid and wrongheaded as the elites that have governed the western world over the last couple of generations have been.” I couldn't agree more.

But most disturbing of all is the fact that truth is being allowed covertly, compromise by compromise, bit by bit, to fall in the street in churches, and by churches. This happens where pastors and other church leaders minimize, marginalize, misrepresent, misconstrue and misinterpret truth to suit their own preferences and/or agendas.

We have survived wars, economic collapse and other colossal challenges to our liberty. But too many donkey’s, contemptuous of truth and therefore incompetent and dangerous, are in driver’s seats now for any American to feel at ease in in this nation or for for any Christian to “be at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1).