The Disrespecting Of Authority

While perusing the news reports this morning, I noticed this video, featuring Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox News Channel's, The O'Reilly Factor. In this video segment, Mr. O'Reilly talks about the fact that because of the breakdown of the home, we are seeing "young people in America that now have a defiance toward authority not seen since the Vietnam Days."

Mr. O'Reilly goes on to say: "If an American child doesn't have guidance and supervision in the home, they will likely get involved in anti-social behavior."

Mr. O'Reilly makes a correct assessment of the current status of our society. Over the past fifty-five years, our society has seen a growing trend of the breakdown of the home, the first social institution established by God (Genesis 2:18-25).

The Greek philosopher, Socrates (469-399 B.C.), must have experienced a similar society when he stated: "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers" (source).

The breakdown of the home was one of the factors which caused the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Beloved, do we not see a trend here? Thankfully, there is a solution to the problem of the disrespecting of authority (caused by the breakdown of the home) in our society: Get back to the Bible, to God, and to moral sanity!

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets