“After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things He had done for Israel. They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so He handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as He had warned. And the people were in great distress.” – Judges 2:10‭, ‬12‭-‬15 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jdg.2.10-15.NLT)

This sounds so much like our country today. Replace “Israel” with “the United States,” and realize who Ba’al and Ashtoreth are. According to an article from http://www.breakingisraelnews.com, the temple to Ba’al in Palmyra, Syria, “…was originally dedicated to the Mesopotamian god Ba’al, whose principal forms of worship were burning babies alive and bisexual orgies. Symbolizing a major religion that challenged Judaism, Ba’al was mentioned in the Bible over 90 times, becoming the archetype of worshipping evil. The devotees of Ba’al believed he was the source of rain and universal bounty. Promiscuity was not penalized, as unwanted children could be offered up to the god [abortion, child abuse], nor was procreation valued, as homosexual relations were encouraged. Pantheistic, they worshipped Mother Nature while rejecting the concept of a creator.” (www.breakingisraelnews.com)

Considered the moon-goddess, Asherah [Ashtoreth] was often presented as a consort of Baal, the sun-god (Judges 3:7, 6:28, 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4, 12:10). Asherah was also worshiped as the goddess of love and war and was sometimes linked with Anath, another Canaanite goddess. Worship of Asherah was noted for its sensuality and involved ritual prostitution. The priests and priestesses of Asherah also practiced divination and fortune-telling. (www.gotquestions.org)

(Emphasis added)

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, made a prescient comment on the new moral reality in an article in the the Wall Street Journal in 2011, warning, “A tsunami of wishful thinking has washed across the West saying that you can have sex without the responsibility of marriage, children without the responsibility of parenthood, social order without the responsibility of citizenship, liberty without the responsibility of morality and self-esteem without the responsibility of work and earned achievement.” (http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/64582/temple-baal-ancient-idol-worshiped-biblical-times-will-stand-times-square-biblical-zionism)

I think Rabbi Sacks was very accurate in his statement. We have no respect for life. Witness the number of abortions performed every day, and the acts of violence across the country. Human life has little value to so many people. The lives of animals are placed above children in so many cases, and the presence of drugs and human slavery are decimating. We want the government to support us so we don’t have to work. We expect the government to supply our health care; and we expect the government to take care of us when we get old. But mostly, we expect to be left alone to do whatever we please, without the constraints of morals or ethics or rules.

How’s that working out for you?
It’s time we stand up for what is RIGHT. Morally, ethically, and lawfully. Whether at work or at play, it is up to each individual to live righteously and without expectation that someone else will provide for us. Responsibility is not fun, but it is a necessity. There are different definitions of “right,” so I submit mine. It is right to work and then to enjoy the fruits of my labor. If I choose to have a nice house, it is my responsibility to pay for it and to maintain it. If I want a nicer vehicle, then I need to work for the privilege of ownership. Same with anything else I want. If I choose to have children or animals, it is my RESPONSIBILITY to take care of and provide for them. It is not up to any government to provide these things. There are legitimate instances where people need assistance. For example, I lost my job in April and have been unable to find equivalent work since then. I am fortunate to have earned unemployment benefits, but those are very limited. I am even more blessed to have a partner whose income keeps us going financially for now. Neither of these things prevents me from being responsible to find another job. I have friends who have made the choice to raise their children without the dad because of abuse, and others who have adopted unwanted children. They still work and struggle to maintain a “normal” life, and I believe they should be helped if they desire it. Many make the choice to do their lives without government help.
For those who cannot earn an adequate living through no fault of their own, because of physical or mental disability, or because they are a widow or orphan, we as a community of Christians bear the responsibility to care for them. Not the government. It is not the right of anyone or anything government to take what I have achieved in order to “spread the wealth” – or any other euphemism, including Socialism or Communism or just plain stealing because they don’t want to work.
We are at war today, my friends. In our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our jobs, in our lives, wherever it takes us. Take this scripture to heart:
  “Then if My People who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT (http://bible.com/116/2ch.7.14.NLT)