The great Russian author, historian and philosopher, Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said that all of the wars and brutality of the twentieth century could be explained in just four words: Men have forgotten God. He remembered being a young boy and listening to the old men talk about the terrible disasters that had befallen Russia and they would often conclude by saying, “Men have forgotten God. That is why this has happened.”
During his Templeton address delivered in 1983, Solzhenitsyn pointed out that we in the West had taken a different approach, but we were well on our way to repeating the mistakes of the communist bloc. He suggested: “The West has yet to experience a Communist invasion; religion here remains free. But the West’s own historical evolution has been such that today it too is experiencing a drying up of religious consciousness. It too has witnessed racking schisms, bloody religious wars, and rancor, to say nothing of the tide of secularism that, from the late Middle Ages onward, has progressively inundated the West. This gradual sapping of strength from within is a threat to faith that is perhaps even more dangerous than any attempt to assault religion violently from without.”
The 40 years that have passed since Solzhenitsyn’s address have confirmed his insight. So many of the current cultural battles that we in the West are fighting today could be summarized in those same four words. We have forgotten God. Whether it is euthanasia, same sex marriage, no fault divorce, or the issue of abortion it really comes down to modern man’s dismissal of God and complete disregard for His precepts. Perhaps the reason that the opposing sides continue to talk past one another on these and other issues is due to the fact that they do not share the same presuppositions.
“If there is no God, then everything is permitted” is a quote frequently attributed to another great Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Certainly, behaviors once largely condemned by society have found widespread and rapid acceptance over the past 40 years in the West. This acceptance however has been accomplished by a wholesale rejection of the beliefs and cultural norms of our forefathers… a spiritual collapse akin to the Israelites rapid abandonment of the God who led them safely out of Egypt in order to worship the golden calf.
Rather than worshiping a molten image, modern man has exalted his own will to the first and highest order. But this desire for self-fulfillment above all else is inconsistent with Christian belief and practice. Jesus called us to die to self and live for Him. He warned us that those that seek to save their life will lose it. The modern obsession with the pursuit of happiness and pleasure stems from this misguided approach to life.
That is, whether it is drugs, alcohol, sex, sports, or any other substitute for God, we condemn ourselves to a life of frustration once we make the substitute our primary goal. Paradoxically, happiness comes as a byproduct of seeking to do God’s will and not our own…of putting God in the first place in our lives and in our hearts. And when God is in the first place in the heart of a nation, that nation will experience His blessings. Conversely, when a nation has forgotten God, that nation will soon discover that they have squandered His blessings and abandoned any chance for peace or prosperity.
Dr. Carl Malito is a retired Physician who continues to be active with Mesa County Right to Life.