When Nations Die

Introduction

One of the more popular Probe radio programs has been "Decline of a Nation." I would like to return to this important theme by summarizing the significant work by Jim Nelson Black in his book When Nations Die. When we look at three thousand years of history, we observe that civilizations rise but eventually fall and die. The history of the world is the history of nations that are conquered by other nations or collapse into anarchy.

Jim Nelson Black sees ominous parallels to our own country. He says,

As I have looked back across the ruins and landmarks of antiquity, I have been stunned by the parallels between those societies and our own. For most of us the destruction of Carthage, the rise of the Greek city-states, and the Fall of Rome are mere ghosts of the past, history lessons long forgotten. And such things as the capture of Constantinople, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the kingdoms of France and Spain, and the slow withering decline of the British Empire are much less clear and less memorable. Most of us do not remember much from our history lessons about the French Enlightenment or, for that matter, the issues that led to the American Revolution. But this is the legitimate background of our own place in history, it is vital that we reconsider the nature of life in those earlier times. For within those eras and movements are the seeds of the troubles we face today.{1}

There are many reasons for the decline and fall of a nation, but an important (and often overlooked) reason is its abandonment of religion. Russell Kirk has said that the roots of "culture" come from the "cult." In other words, culture (cult-ure) is based upon some form of religious or spiritual worldview. Egypt was a religious society founded on the worship of nature gods and goddesses. Greece and Rome had their pantheon of pagan deities. And the list of nations in India, China, and other parts of the globe all demonstrate the principle that civilization arises from religion.

And the opposite is also true. When the traditional beliefs of a nation erode, the nation dies. Religion provides the set of standards that govern a nation. Historian Will Durant said, "There is no significant example in history, before our time, of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion."{2}

Unfortunately, this nation has embarked on a journey to maintain a society without a religious code. The Ten Commandments are pulled from the walls, and religious values are stripped from the public square.

Christian principles are no longer taught in the public schools and often ridiculed in the arenas of education and media. One has to wonder what the fate of this country will be in the future.

Social Decay In his book When Nations Die, Jim Nelson Black lists three aspects of decay: social decay, cultural decay, and moral decay. Three important trends demonstrate social decay. They are "the crisis of lawlessness," the "loss of economic discipline," and "rising bureaucracy."

History provides ample illustrations of the disastrous consequences of the collapse of law and order. "In ancient Greece, the first symptoms of disorder were a general loss of respect for tradition and the degradation of the young. Among the early symptoms was the decline of art and entertainment. The philosophers and pundits distorted the medium of communication. Rhetoric became combative and intolerant; intellectuals began to deride and attack all the traditional institutions of Hellenic society."{3}

New thinkers in the society argued for "fundamental change" and called for giving the youth a "voice in society." Without traditional guidelines, the young men grew wild and undisciplined destroying the old order. Slowly Greece devolved into a disreputable and lawless nation. The Romans conquered Greece in 146 B.C. By placing everything under military authority, they were able to restore order and bring back the rule of law.

In a study of the French Revolution, José Ortega y Gasset noted that "Order is not pressure which is imposed on society from without, but an equilibrium which is set up from within."{4} The Roman Empire (as well as other great civilizations) understood that discipline and custom were essential to stability.

A similar story can be found in ancient Egypt during the fourth century B.C. Lawlessness and violence crippled the economy, and the nation was in chaos. When Alexander the Great invaded the country in 333 B.C., his first task was to restore order and institute martial law (which he did in a ruthless manner). With the death of Alexander, Egypt returned to its old ways until the Roman Empire brought peace to the region through conquest and martial law.

Carthage was once called "the eternal rival of Rome" but its preeminence and impact waned as it "sank into debauchery and dissipation as a result of great wealth and luxury." Law and order were destroyed from within. Moreover, the rich young men of Carthage no longer wanted to serve in the military so they hired mercenaries to do their fighting. But when the army came into fierce conflict with Rome and other adversaries, the mercenaries ran and left the nation defenseless. Carthage fell to Rome in 146 B.C., and the first act of the Roman legions was to restore law and order.

In these and many other examples, social decay led to the decline and fall of a great civilization. If we are to prevent a repeat of history, then we must learn from these lessons of history.

Cultural Decay Four important trends demonstrate cultural decay. They are the "decline of education," the "weakening of cultural foundations," the "loss of respect for tradition," and the "increase in materialism."

In his study The Civilization of Rome, Donald Dudley says that no single cause, by itself, would have brought the empire to its knees. Instead, the fall came through "a number of weaknesses in Roman society; their effects may be variously estimated, but in combination they must have been largely responsible for the collapse."{5}

The cultural decay of a nation leads inexorably to social and cultural decline. And the patterns are similar from one civilization to another. Samuel Eisenstadt wondered if the similarities were apparent or if they were historical and legitimate. After studying the work of a half dozen historians, he concluded that the similarities were actual. He concluded that "despite the great difference in cultural background–most of these empires have shown similar characteristics, and that these characteristics provide the key to an understanding of the processes of their decline."{6}

The Roman poet Livy wrote that greed and self-indulgence led Romans to dangerous excesses. He said, "For it is true that when men had fewer possessions, they were also modest in their desires. Lately riches have brought avarice and abundant pleasures, and the desire to carry luxury and lust to the point of ruin and universal perdition."{7}

In describing the decadence of the Roman Republic, historian Polybius wrote that this preoccupation with luxury led to carnal indulgences. "For some young men indulged in affairs with boys, others in affairs with courtesans." They paid a talent (roughly a thousand dollars) for a boy bought for sexual pleasure and three hundred drachmas for a jar of caviar. "Marcus Cato was outraged by this and, in a speech to the people, complained that one might be quite convinced of the decline of the republic, when pretty boys cost more than fields and jars of caviar cost more than plowman."{8}

As we look at our society today, we too find ourselves in a world where values have been inverted and where citizens pursue hedonistic pleasures without counting the cost. Our nation would be wise to learn the lessons of the past.

Moral Decay Three important trends demonstrate moral decay. They are the "rise in immorality," the "decay of religious belief," and the "devaluing of human life."

The classic study of Roman civilization, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, written by English historian Edward Gibbon was published in that famous year of 1776. He "observed that the leaders of the empire gave into the vices of strangers, morals collapsed, laws became oppressive, and the abuse of power made the nation vulnerable to the barbarian hordes."{9}

British historian Catherine Edwards demonstrated that our current examples of immorality are not a modern phenomenon. In her study of the "politics of immorality" in ancient Rome, she says that contraception, abortion, and exposure were common ways to prevent childbirth in Rome. Husbands refused to recognize any child they did not believe to be their own. "Until accepted by its father, a Roman baby did not, legally speaking, exist."{10}

Life became cheap in the latter days of the Roman Empire. Burdensome regulation and taxes made manufacturing and trade unprofitable. Families were locked into hereditary trades and vocations allowing little if any vocational choice. Eventually, children were seen as a needless burden and abortion and infanticide became commonplace. In some cases, children were sold into slavery.

Manners and social life fell into debauchery. Under Justinian, entertainment grew bawdier and more bizarre. Orgies and love feasts were common. Homosexuality and bestiality were openly practiced. Under Nero, Christians were blamed for the great fire in Rome and horribly persecuted.

Similar patterns can be found in other civilizations. In Greece, the music of the young people became wild and coarse. Popular entertainment was brutal and vulgar. Promiscuity, homosexuality, and drunkenness became a daily part of life. And all moral and social restraints were lost leading to greater decadence.

In Carthage, worship turned from Baal to the earth goddess Tanit. "Sacrifices to the goddess of fertility were supposed to ensure productivity, long life, and even greater profits."{11} Ornately carved funeral monuments depicting infant sacrifice can be seen today along with thousands of tiny stone coffins to infants sacrificed to the pagan goddess.

The parallels to our own nation are striking. No, we don't sacrifice infants to a pagan goddess, but we have aborted nearly 40 million babies on the altar of convenience. And various sexual practices are openly accepted as part of an alternative lifestyle. It's no wonder that many believe our country is a nation in decline.

Are We A Nation in Decline? Throughout this article we have been describing the patterns of decline in a nation. Do these patterns apply to our own nation? Many people looking at the patterns of social, cultural, and moral decay in other countries and civilizations have concluded that we are headed down the same path.

Russell Kirk put it this way:

It appears to me that our culture labors in an advanced state of decadence; that what many people mistake for the triumph of our civilization actually consists of powers that are disintegrating our culture; that the vaunted 'democratic freedom' of liberal society in reality is servitude to appetites and illusions which attack religious belief; which destroy community through excessive centralization and urbanization; which efface life-giving tradition and custom.{12}

When we understand the factors that led to the decline of great civilizations, we can easily see that this country can succumb to similar temptations and decadence. What happened in Greece, Rome, Egypt, Carthage, and many other civilizations can happen to us.

Professor Allan Bloom in his book The Closing of the American Mind, said, "This is the American moment in world history, the one for which we shall forever be judged. Just as in politics the responsibility for the fate of freedom in the world has devolved upon our regime, so the fate of the philosophy in the world has devolved upon our universities, and the two are related as they have never been before."{13}

We as a nation and a people must rise to the occasion or suffer a fate similar to that which has befallen civilizations in the past. The task is not easy since the patterns of decay found in other nations strike ours as well. Nations were subverted by false and foreign ideologies. We too find hostile ideas in the public arenas of media, politics, and education. Sexual promiscuity led to the downfall of these nations. So too we find similar patterns of sexual promiscuity and debauchery.

As nations fell into decline, life became cheap. Infants were strangled, exposed to the elements, or sold into slavery. Others were sacrificed to pagan goddesses in order to ensure productivity or a long life. Today life has become cheap. At one end of the spectrum, unborn babies are aborted. At the other end, physician-assisted suicide is becoming acceptable for the aged.

In his study of history, Arnold Toynbee describes the predictable pattern of "challenge and response." We as a nation are challenged in fundamental ways, and our response will either pull us back from the brink or push us over it. Will we follow the path to renewal and reformation or will we follow the path to destruction? The choice is ours.

"Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it." --George Santayana

I agree, this is a very good article and states clearly what I have been preaching for years. I have repeatedly told people that my objection to "Gay Rights" is not religious, but historical...that, while not truly a cause, accepance of homosexuality as a norm is a symptom of decaying culture and since it was a norm in the late times of Greek and Roman civilizations, its presence here is also symptomatic of the imminent failure of our civilization.

We never learn from history.
Why start now?

Human nature hasn't changed ONE IOTA in all its 100,000 or so years.
All we can do is make ourselves, our lives and the people around us as good as we can.

THAT is the lesson of history.
We won't learn THAT one either, but will try to continue to legislate morality, change human nature and fool ourselves into thinking that we can change humanity.

The answers to the lesson of history are, for Christians, at the foot of the Cross. Until we each and individually learn and execuste that, all this is a waste of words.

My Sunday 2 cents.

This article is right on the money. And it is hard to see how we turn it around, but must try.

I like the religious tone to the article because religion is the only known mechanism to stem the decline. But the argument can also be cast in economic terms which may have more appeal to the less religious among us.

Societies that focus on the future grow. Societies that focus on the present decline. This is easy to understand in economic terms. A focus on the future promotes investment and consequently growth. A focus on the present promotes consumption and eventually decline.

Starting in the sixties our culture has moved rapidly from one that promotes sacrifice for the next generation to one that revels in the pleasures of the present. All sectors of society have fallen prey to this. From the insatiable demands of seniors for more income and health care to the yuppy women who kill their "inconvenient" babies to the homosexuals who have captured the legal system to promote their instatiable satyrism at the expense of the family to the corrupt Congressmen and Senators who buy their power with our money all levels of our society have turned away from the principles that made us great.

If we don't turn this around now, we will end up on the ash heap of history after all.

The Communists know they cannot conquer the United States by force of arms, therefore they had to sow the seeds of internal societal decay. Even that would probably not be enough, they realized, so they introduced ideas of political correctness and one-worldism. Polls are now being taken that show the majority of Americans asked believe all countries in the world, including the US, should disarm its nuclear weapons. We could be ten years from this result, and the hordes can then pour in from latin america, china, russia, africa and the middle east.

The only problem with these theories is that they don't hold up very well historically. The practices we classify as decadent and indicators of decay often coincided with the expansion of a civilization, not its decline.

For instance:

The Roman poet Livy wrote that greed and self-indulgence led Romans to dangerous excesses.

He wrote this at the very start of the Empire. Rome, even in the West, lasted another 500 years, with its most glorious and prosperous century over a hundred years after Livy.

The most innovative years of Greek civilization coincided with the greatest acceptance of homosexuality.

Infanticide was outlawed towards the end of the Roman Empire under the influence of Christianity, and was utterly taken for granted by all ancient peoples except the Jews.

accepance of homosexuality as a norm is a symptom of decaying culture and since it was a norm in the late times of Greek and Roman civilizations

Actually, it was most accepted during the heyday of these civilizations, and was outlawed and persecuted during their late times. A very awkward fact.

Some might posit that the fall of Rome to nordic barbarians was hastened by its adoption of Christianity. Once the barbarians were converted to Christianity, they found a way to justify being a Christian warrior, and the new feudal overlords were eventually able to fend off Islam. During the few centuries in between, however, there was no one minding the store, and the Muzzies ran rampant through the Levant and Rome's north African empire.

Actually, it was most accepted during the heyday of these civilizations, and was outlawed and persecuted during their late times. A very awkward fact.

So if we encourage other men to bugger our sons, we'll also have a great civilization?

I suppose it's all Greek to you.

During the few centuries in between, however, there was no one minding the store, and the Muzzies ran rampant through the Levant and Rome's north African empire.

A more logical explanation is that several centuries of extremely destructive warfare between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Persians had resulted in the complete exhaustion of both, leaving the field open for the Muslims to conquer both.

With the exception of Spain, the Muslims during this period made only very temporary conquests of Christian territories outside the exhausted Eastern Roman Empire.

Whenever people start comparing America to Rome, they always want to flip ahead to the decline and fall. This is true of both conservatives fretting over our moral decay and liberals fretting about our imperial hubris.

By any standard, America is still at the dawn of her age of imperial power. Our expansion across the continent could map to the Romans' wars with the other Italian cities and the cisalpine Gauls. The World Wars and the Cold War map neatly to the Punic Wars and Rome's first ventures into Greek power politics.

All those things, interestingly, happened during the Roman Republic.

Now we're venturing into global power, just as Rome annexed the Hellenistic world of the eastern Mediterranean. If the parallel holds true, we've got several centuries of placid hegemony before the barbarians loot the Smithsonian.

Of course, the whole thing's a crock, anyway. Historical determinism is the bunk -- Karl Marx and his heirs demonstrated that the hard way. Superficial similarities between societies mean _nothing_ in a different context.

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