by Jefferson David Tant<\/p>\n
In 1986, Jamie O’Hara wrote a hit song with the above title. It was popularized by Naomi and Wynona Judd. Allow me to be nostalgic as I cite the words with a few comments. (If you don’t know the song, you can Google it.)<\/p>\n
“Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days,
\nSometimes it feels like this world’s gone crazy,
\nGrandpa, take me back to yesterday,
\nWhen the line between right and wrong didn’t seem so hazy.\nGrandpa, everything is changing fast,
\nWe call it progress, but I just don’t know
\nAnd Grandpa, let’s wander back into the past,
\nAnd paint me the picture of long ago.\nDid families really bow their heads to pray?
\nDid daddies really never go away?
\nOh, Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days,
\nOh, Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days.\n(Chorus)
\nDid lovers really fall in love to stay,
\nAnd stand beside each other come what may?
\nWas a promise really something people kept,
\nNot just something they would say and then forget?<\/blockquote>\nWe live in a world that is going downhill rapidly. The unspeakable Connecticut tragedy is really unimaginable. Twenty innocent children, and several adults slaughtered by a young man who was either deranged or evil personified. And now we have the mayhem in Seattle, Portland, New York City, and around the nation.<\/p>\n
Ever since Adam and Eve listened to Satan’s lies, mankind has been in trouble. Some generations later God said “Enough,” and the Great Flood cleaned the slate. And who knows when God will do it again? Not by water, as per his promise. But it will be as Peter wrote: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up<\/em>” (II Peter 3:10).<\/p>\n
Many want to ban guns. Guns are not the problem. Logically, we should ban automobiles, for they kill far more than guns. And what about beer, for drunk drivers kill thousands. Kitchen knives also kill. The point is, objects do not kill. Evil hearts kill.<\/p>\n
Buff Scott wrote,<\/p>\n
“Manslaughter has replaced innocent lives.
\nThe ugly has replaced beauty.
\nThe abnormal has replaced normal.
\nEvil has replaced good.
\nThe immoral has replaced moral.
\nLying has replaced truth.
\nDishonesty has replaced honesty.
\nDeceit has replaced sincerity.
\nWar has replaced peace.
\nPerverted sex has replaced natural sex – man-with-man, woman-with-woman.
\nViolent fantasies have replaced reality.”<\/blockquote>\n1963 was a pivotal year when atheist Madelyn Murray O’Hair got the Supreme Court to ban school prayer. And as God was kicked out of school, he has progressively been banned from more and more aspects of American life. And the America we loved has turned out the lights, one by one, that once illuminated our fair land as a shining beacon of hope, opportunity, and moral values to the world.<\/p>\n
And as our government has endorsed the abortion of millions of babies, and now supports perverted homosexual unions, and is waging a war against religious values, one wonders when the final light will be snuffed out. America is the only nation I know of that was founded on the principle of religious freedom. It seems strange that the principles that guided our founding fathers, which have stood our nation so well for over two centuries, are now considered offensive. Do today’s nay-sayers want to change our Declaration of Independence to read “one nation under Satan” rather than “one nation under God?” We have descended into the abyss so far that a new Bible is being published – “The Queen James Bible.” This Bible twists the meaning of every passage condemning homosexuality to make perverted sex seem OK.<\/p>\n
Certainly, the entertainment industry has contributed to our downward slide. Violent video games, sexually explicit and perverted movies and TV shows, foul and vile language, have helped foster many of the younger generations without social graces. God’s admonition goes unheeded, “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God<\/em>” (Leviticus 19:32).<\/p>\n
Those who uphold moral values and respect for God are becoming a minority in our nation. But it has been this way in many nations throughout history. I fear not so much for myself, as my years are numbered, but I mourn for the nation that my children and grandchildren will inherit.<\/p>\n
Paul urges “that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity<\/em>” (I Timothy 2:1).<\/p>\n
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people<\/em>” (Proverbs 14:34).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jefferson David Tant In 1986, Jamie O’Hara wrote a hit song with the above title. It was popularized by Naomi and Wynona Judd. Allow me to be nostalgic as I cite the words with a few comments. (If you don’t know the song, you can Google it.) “Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[38,200],"class_list":["post-33138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-morality","tag-violence"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31628,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-verses-do-i-need-to-convince-my-grandpa-to-be-a-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":0},"title":"What verses do I need to convince my grandpa to be a Christian?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My grandpa doesn't go to church and is not saved. What verses do I need to tell him out of the Bible? Answer: This is a question I would love to be able to answer but cannot. I don't know your grandpa. I don't know why he has decided\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32544,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-received-an-unofficial-cd-containing-songs-i-know-are-copyrighted-what-should-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":1},"title":"I received an unofficial CD containing songs I know are copyrighted. What should I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A song leader from another congregation had burnt a CD from a group of people who recorded songs from the Hymns for Worship hymnal, to try and teach song leaders how to lead some of the less used songs in the book.\u00a0He had given it to my grandpa years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36067,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-have-to-have-my-abusive-step-father-in-my-life-and-in-my-daughters-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":2},"title":"Do I have to have my abusive step-father in my life and in my daughter’s life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I hope you can give me some good advice. I am a father of a young girl. My mom divorced my stepdad when I was a young teenager. He gave all of us a pretty hard life, my mom, my brothers, and sisters who are his kids. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55190,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-bible-and-the-old-wicker-coal-basket\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":3},"title":"The Bible and The Old Wicker Coal Basket","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Revised by Kenneth E. Thomas The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson who wanted to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/CoalBasket.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-visit-my-grandfathers-church-when-we-are-there-even-though-we-left-that-denomination-for-the-true-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":4},"title":"Should we visit my grandfather’s church when we are there even though we left that denomination for the true church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Okay, we have been in the Lord's church for less than a year. My husband, our little son and I are going to visit my grandma and my mother for my son's birthday. We will be there for almost two weeks and one of the days we will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59290,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/remember-the-duck\/","url_meta":{"origin":33138,"position":5},"title":"Remember the Duck","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Unknown There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting discouraged, he headed back inside for lunch. As he was walking back,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/duck.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}