Its fundamental evil is mendacity: contempt for Truth.
It was the love of TRUTH, TRUTH FOR ITS OWN SAKE, and the quest for TRUTH that brought about the Enlightenment and made Western Civilization the greatest, best, most productive, most accomplished, most just, most benevolent civilization in history.
However, contempt for truth replaced love of Truth. The result is the nightmare we are now witnessing.
In some Western nations, it is a criminal offense to speak Truth. The punishment is severe.
Decadence--and its consequences: corruption, dishonesty, violence, injustice, and other evils--have penetrated the most sacred and time honored American institutions, including the FBI, the military high command, and, of course, journalism and virtually all universities. Truth is held in contempt. Propaganda is relentless, ruthless, and ubiquitous.
The beloved United States of America--the greatest hope of the world, the greatest bulwark of Liberty and Justice for All, the home of the great American Dream--the nation that saved the world from the horrors of Naziism, the Japanese Empire, and the evil Soviet Empire--whose powerful economic engine provided not only hope but food, protection, education, and wealth to all the people of the world--is deteriorating before our eyes into a nightmare of corruption, mendacity, violence, injustice, totalitarianism, and other evils.
And many people cheer its destruction and work hard to accelerate its fall!
And the Great, Benevolent, Heroic Man who has dared to oppose this nightmare and restore America--and the world--to health, sanity, and ascendency, is mocked, derided, attacked, and threatened with destruction and assassination--he and his family!
Our parents never dreamed that such a nightmare could possible occur.
The sane, morally and intellectually healthy people of the world had better endow President Trump with all the help and support they can possibly muster. The fate of the world--and certainly the survival of the United States--depend upon it.
Wonderful post.
I see this as yet another Roman's 1 scenario, where men exchange the truth of God for a lie and descend into the consequent evil and depravity.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:21-25)
Although their form of idolatry is not birds and beasts, they have other idols which they bow down before.