Once upon a time in America a man’s word was his bond, most people had Integrity. People did not even need contracts a handshake was reliable. Today, even if you have a written contract you have little guarantee that those who entered into the contract will even attempt to fulfill it. About one half of Americans simply cannot be trusted anymore.
I have been observing this trend toward a nation of people who lack integrity for quite some time. I guess you might blame it on postmodern thought where morals and truth are said to be relative. Nonetheless, hiding behind the philosophy of relativism does not mean that these people do not actually know the difference between good and evil. They really do, they simply choose to be selfish liars.
The root causes of the lack of integrity in America appears to be selfishness and having no empathy or love for others. Many people just no longer care what their own actions do to others. It is all about “me” and that is why this is called the “me generation”.
Some might think the lack of integrity is limited to mostly the younger generation but that is not true. Lack of Integrity is found across the board. It seems that all age groups have now become infected with this selfishness through media brainwashing, bad example and permissiveness where there is very little negative consequence for doing what they know is wrong.
I guess on a Christian website we should first point out the lack of integrity of many of our Christian leaders. I am not going to get into self centered liberal, postmodern or legalistic theology in this article. They are subjects beyond the scope of this article. There have been obvious signs that there is a major problem in the lack of integrity in the clergy across denominational lines when top “Christian” leaders are constantly being exposed as pedophiles, fornicators, homosexuals, hypocrites, greedy, con artists, liars and thieves.
You would think our so called “men of God” would be above such things but apparently many are not. What you see on the news are only the high profile cases. That is only the tip of a iceberg. The sins of “Christian” leaders run deep and many so called fishers of men, ship’s have been sunk due to lack of integrity.
Indeed, things seem to be winding-up.
Hi Don,
It is patently evident that selfishness is a basic drive within
mankind and will increase and dominate when God’s Word is removed from the individual and national consciousness.
Our nations (yours an mine) cannot sow the seeds of such Godlessness without reaping its harvest, and as has been pointed out, integrity is in the forefront of the fatalities.
To the degree that selfishness is restrained, to that degree we can be considered civilised people but when selfishness reigns we become uncivilised.
Civilisation will not survive while God’s word is rejected and if the Church continues to reject that Word what hope is there for the world
The criminal is totaly selfish because there is no restraint