The Sword of Damocles

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     About the time that Malachi wrote his prophetic words in Palestine, Dionysius became tyrant of Syracuse. A man of obscure parentage, his public life began as a humble clerk. By sheer energy and indomitable will he elevated himself in successive steps to a place of absolute power. Damocles, a fawning courtier and flatterer, sought to ingratiate himself into greater favor with the ruler, by delivering a speech which contained unrestrained reference to the happiness of being king. He was invited to be guest of honor at a sumptuous banquet, and was seated at the table in royal luxury. But while feasting on the delectable dainties, he was horror-stricken when he cast his eyes upward, and saw a sword suspended by a single hair over his head. Dionysius thus taught him that life is uncertain even at a time of greatest apparent security. The "sword of Damocles" has become a symbol of impending fate or dread tragedy which may strike at any moment.

     Western man sits today at a table spread with the luxuries of life. The creative genius and technical skill of modern science have combined to lift his burdens and smooth his pathway through life. Mechanical servants whir into obedience at the pressing of a button, to heat or cool his house, wash and dry his clothing, gather the dust from his floors, cleanse his dishes, and dispose of his garbage. Life is regulated by gadgets and thermostats, by buttons and automatic switches. He can say, as the man in the parable, "Soul, take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up." But the student of history cannot be at ease. He feels the cool breeze in his face, he hears the moaning of the wind, and looks for the gathering storm cloud of fury. There is the faint persistent whisper of impending disaster. The "sword of Damocles" is swaying gently back and forth above our heads.

     Every previous civilization has gone down because it contained within itself the seeds of its own dissolution. There is but one power which can preserve a culture-- moral force! Men tend to trust in scientific intellect, wealth of natural resources, and armed might, to save them. Yet nothing is more apparent than the wrecks of nations bestrewing the paths of history, and without single exception, every one of these believed that it was moulded by a superior race. Even the nation chosen by God to keep alive the concept of monotheism in a pagan and idolatrous world, had to be subjected to brutal treatment and exile, to purge out the dross. No such nation has ever believed its own prophets. A nation intoxicated with pride, is like a drunken man, unable to reason intelligibly. "They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the

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seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed... " (Isa. 29:9-11).

     I accept the Bible as a revelation of God's dealings with man. I am forced, therefore, to recognize that history repeats itself. "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be" (Eccl. 1 9). Like causes produce like results. He, who ruled that in the natural realm, the tree should "yield fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind," has ordained the same order in the moral realm. As a man reaps what he sews, so will a nation reap what it sews. Each successive culture that has been swept away has left the history of its decline and fall, and these accounts make our own responsibility greater. "Now these things were our example, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted."

     If "whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning," we must read what is written, and we must learn from it. Only a fool will refuse to read the danger signs along a road he has not traveled before. Let us trace the finger of God as it marked out the destruction of a people. Are we following in the track that ends in cultural oblivion? Will you get your own Bible, and read very carefully, Amos, chapter six? Do it now, and let's think about it seriously.

     Verse 1 implies the life of luxury and social ease. The people had implicit trust in their location, and regarded their position as one of world leadership. They were named "the chief of the nations." They regarded themselves as racially superior to others and esteemed themselves better than kingdoms which they surveyed. Verse 3 shows that they refused the words of warning and "put far away the evil day." Their philosophy was, "It can't happen to us." It was not possible for them to conceive how destruction could overtake them, seeing their greatness.

     Verses 4 through 6 contain a description of "luxury's vile contagion." Indolence, banqueting, entertainment, and drinking -- these constituted the daily round of life. The furniture which graced their dwellings was of the most expensive kind, rivalling that portrayed in American Home Magazine today. They pampered their jaded appetites with gourmet foods, the choicest cuts of lamb, and milk fed veal. Stretched lazily upon downy couches, they sang the popular songs of the day, and listened to their version of stereophonic music. They drank huge goblets of liquor and rubbed their soft, effeminate bodies with cosmetic preparations and fragrant unguents. But "they were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." The threatened ruin of the nation did not trouble them. They were members of the cult of the unconcerned. They were in a stupor of indifference. They were gorging themselves for God's butchering day, like oxen in a fattening pen. Verse 14 declares, "Behold, I will raise up against you a nation...saith the Lord God of hosts, and they will afflict you."

     The moral status of a people can be determined by their regard for the person and property of others. In these areas we manifest our integrity or fidelity, or show our lack of it. One is impressed with the number of times the prophets associate stealing, bribery and adultery, as symptoms calling for punishment and overthrow of the social order. These strike at the very roots of national life. And western civilization, especially as exemplified in current American life, is threatened by the dry rot of these things, at its very roots.

     Norman Jaspan Associates is an engineering firm in New York which specializes in analysis of "sick businesses." The president of this firm said recently that American business is being robbed of a billion dollars per year, that four million dollars is taken each day by employes, in one form or another.

     "Not all of this haul is in the form of cash, of course. Employes, supervisors and executives are stealing thousands upon thousands of dollars a day in the form of time, merchandise, services, bribes, kickbacks, and dishonesties of every description."

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     After asserting that women are as guilty as men, although stealing from different motives, the investigator points out the effect of such action upon our economic status.

     "The eventual burden of all this dishonesty is borne by the consumer--you and me. If you are one of the millions of Americans who own stock, or whose pension plans or insurance companies own stock, then employe dishonesty cuts into your profits and dividends. Even, as a simple consumer, it is you who has to make up all this swindling by paying higher prices for everything you buy--whether it is a jar of jam, a new car or a winter overcoat. In fact I earnestly believe that if the blight of dishonesty could be removed from American business, the over-all level of prices could be reduced as much as 15 per cent."

     We cannot overlook the factor of price, but I am more deeply concerned about these things as symptoms of a sick world, than about their effect upon pocketbooks and paychecks of consumers. When confidence erodes, and persons regard each other only as potential "meal tickets" or as sources of supply for greedy and covetous hearts, our social fabric will be worn thin. The acquisition of property is not morally wrong of itself. The method of acquiring or the motive for doing so, may be wrong. The revelation of God says, "Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Eph. 4:28). Here are two methods of acquisition: stealing and laboring. One works evil, the other works good. One takes from another what he needs, the other gives to meet the needs of another. A national existence based upon greed and covetousness must die of its own hands. It is committing suicide! God's attitude toward unjust acquisition of material things can best be estimated by consideration of other things which he places in the same category. "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery?" (Jer. 7:9). "By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out" (Hosea 4:2).

     A prominent feature in the downfall of every previous civilization has been the inordinate emphasis placed upon sex. So general is the recognition of moral responsibility in this realm, that we tend to think of immorality only in connection with sexual abuses. This is a sad and dangerous mistake. The moral life extends far beyond the bounds of sex restraints. Wollastan, in his Religion of Nature Delineated, says, "Moral good and evil consist in a conformity or disagreement with truth, in treating every thing as being what it is." Dr. Paley, in his Moral and Political Philosophy writes, "Every duty is a duty towards God, since it is his will which makes it a duty." It is an indication of faulty reasoning to limit the word "moral" to one phase of conduct. A man who never violates a law related to sex, may still be immoral.

     Chastity, as a way of life, has been generally disregarded in every decadent civilization. It is a question whether the decay of civilization is produced by such rejection, or if the opposite is the case. It is probably nearer the truth to say that sexual corruption is both a result and a cause. It receives impetus from a ratting civilization, then like an active cancer, contributes further to the decay. Why are proper relationships between men and women in this area so vital to civilization? Let me suggest a few reasons. Sexual relationships are directly connected with the source and inception of human life, and thus, with the perpetuity of the race. They constitute the foundation of the home which is the basic unit of our society. They contribute to the enrichment and ennoblement of the arts by which a culture finds aesthetic expression. They make possible the ultimate physical manifestation of unselfishness and love for another, with the consequent recognition of mutual dependency. "It is not good for man that he should be alone."

     Polluting the fountain of these blessings poisons the stream from which society must drink. That which was or-

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dained to life, thus produces death. Sex, like acquisition of property, is not wrong of itself. Actually, society requires both for its continuance. One fulfills the instinct of preservation, the other satisfies the acquisitive instinct. Both are directly related to our desire to continue life on earth, coupled with the recognition that death makes this personally impossible. We beget children, and accumulate property which we bequeath to them, that our light may not be extinguished by the snuffdish of death. Thus, sex is merely a means to an end. When it becomes the end to be sought, or the goal to be attained, regardless of the means used, man drops to the animal level, and sins--and in this state sex never satisfies!

     We do our children a grave injury when we give them an unhealthy attitude toward sex. That which was ordained by the Creator as an expression of our noblest instinct, should not he regarded as debased, or degrading. Men may degrade it by their abuse, but such abuse serves only to contrast with its pure use. Sex is only one facet of life. It is not a pattern for life, but one thread in the pattern. Without that thread the pattern would not be so beautiful, but made from only that one thread, it would not be a pattern. It is not sex, but the absurd and foolish emphasis upon it which marks the decadence of a civilization. That emphasis is everywhere prevalent in our current society.

     The advertisements on our billboards, and in our journals, are subtle in their allurement of the carnal appetite; the pornographic and indecent materials in some magazines and books is more blatant in pandering to the flesh. Even the names given to perfumes and cosmetics are chosen because of their relation to sex appeal. The exposure of the human body in modern dress, or undress, is indicative of the nakedness which was characteristic of Greece before her departure. The sex standard of a nation is not maintained by the men, but by the women. When the women become coarse, immodest, cheap, and indifferent, they are sowing the seed which will same day make their children, or their children's children, the victims of rapists and butchers. Thus it has ever been, thus it ever shall be! "Hear the word of the Lord, 0 ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation. For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. Speak, Thus saith the Lord, even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them" (Jer. 9:20-22).

     In our nation the rise of the divorce rate is a cause for sober concern. When marriage is regarded as a mere experiment or trial, and divorce is looked upon as a convenient way out, we are on our way down. This is not to say that divorce is never warranted, but certainly it should not be glamorized or glorified. At its best it is a symbol of failure, an open testimony to the world that two people have failed in a sacred relationship to which they were mutually pledged, in the presence of God, to remain true until death separated them. At its worst, it is frequently the doorway to successive failures, and the excuse for polygamy in sequence. Divorce is not a normal termination for marriage, as is death. It is abnormal, and an evil. It is not necessarily a sin in each individual case, but it is an evil, and no evil should be made easy, or treated lightly.

     We must face up to the fact, stark and grim with possibilities, that we live in a

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sick world. We are in the critical ward. No lighthearted joking can eliminate the fact that over our heads, like the "sword of Damocles" hangs the threat of extinction to our way of life. There is rottenness in the marrow of the bones of western civilization. Our hope of survival depends upon those who are "the salt of the earth" that is, upon "the concerned ones." These are the spiritually minded as opposed to those who are carnally minded. Unfortunately, the "concerned ones" have been separated, segregated, divided and rent into conflicting camps, by partisan creeds. They have dissipated their energies in antagonism against each other, and have been taught to hate, rather than to love each other.

     What can these do now to offset impending disaster. Certainly the situation in which they find themselves is not ideal. There is suspicion and doubt toward each other. But we must do something, and we cannot wait to begin, until all things are in an ideal state. Very humbly do we propose the following simple steps which will help to restore some of the savour to the salt. God is long-suffering. He will not look with disdain upon the contrite heart.

1. We must develop an unyielding personal code of honesty and integrity. If we shortchange a man a few cents, we should make every effort to get the money back to him, small as the amount may be. If we are overpaid, we must return the overplus, regardless of the inconvenience to ourselves. We must not allow ourselves to profit because another has unwittingly erred. We must cultivate a sensitive conscience.
2. Young men and women should practice chastity, not because it is a good or safe policy, but because it is the will of God. "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." Sanctification and fornication are at opposite poles in the moral universe. The fact that man has used his scientific ingenuity to devise means of avoiding conception, does not make the sin of fornication less reprehensible, any more than safe-cracking becomes a virtue because the burglar wears gloves to escape detection.
        We should rally the forces of "the concerned ones" to sweep the pornography and sensuality from the news stands and book displays. This is a problem which concerns us all as Americans, and on it we should work in unison, regardless of our differences in religious or doctrinal concepts.
3. Those who are married should make their marriage "work." They are living under solemn pledge to do so. God will hold him accountable who breaks his promise, or who puts a strain an the tie that binds, by his attitude. Marriages are not made in heaven, but marriage is ordained by heaven. Husbands and wives should pray together, and be willing to confess and to forgive shortcomings. We need the example of persons firmly and indissolubly joined in wedlock, who demonstrate there is happiness and joy in the good life. One such example in a community is worth a dozen sermons.
4. Women who are concerned should make a resolution now to dress modestly from now on. Christian women should set the fashion, not be blindly led by the fashions of this world. Those who may have unconsciously generated lust in others by their abbreviated attire, should repent, confess privately to God the sin of their false pride and love for popularity, and go now and dispose of their scanty, form-revealing garments, and not be guilty of wearing such again. We face dangerous times and we need to take drastic means to save our culture.

     We must find a solution, or perish! The salt must regain its saving power, or we are doomed. If you have never been concerned before, please become so now, before the keen blade of the sword descends and the blackness of darkness throttles our last hope of survival. Read our article next month titled, "Red Sky At Morn!"

APPEAL TO READERS

Read the above article again! Is it worth passing on? Will you hand it to someone else--a married son or daughter, a neighbor, the milkman, your filling

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station operator, or your Sunday school teacher? We have a limited number of this paper left, and will send you copies free on request, if you will use them. Can you send a list of subscribers with a dollar enclosed for each, so they can receive the paper for a year? We have a list waiting, if you want to share in the expense of sending the paper to them. Are you really concerned?