It was either this week or last week at the RCIA program we were discussing how things were in the “old days”. I used to call them “the good old days” but now I question just exactly how good they were.

We talked about how when I started school we began every day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a short prayer. As I recall it was a non-denominational, prayer and the non-Christian students in the class were not forced to take part. I even remember my first-grade teacher talking to us about what my Jewish classmates believed and discussing the Jewish holidays. We were taught the Ten Commandments, we were taught the “Golden Rule”, we were taught respect for our elders, parents, grandparents, teachers and the janitors. Then in 1962 all that changed.

Prayers in school were ruled illegal. Schools couldn’t force people to hear anything about God. They claimed it violated the “Separation of Church and State” in the Bill of Rights. (There is no such thing but we will save that for another day) I came across some statistics today about some of the changes that have occurred in our society since we threw God out of our schools.

In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer and Bible reading in public school was unconstitutional which removed prayer from public school. The consequences have been devastating. Behavior and academic performance plummeted. Pregnancies for girls 10-14 shot up 553%; student STDs up 226%. Since removing biblical principles from public policy, divorce rates skyrocketed up 117%; single-parent households up 140%. – LloydMarcus.com

He doesn’t even mention how many babies have been killed through abortion, 638,169 in 2015. (CDC Reproductive Health) Did you ever think that one of these could have discovered a cure for cancer? Maybe one of them could have found the solution to world hunger? I guess we’ll never know, will we?

One of the RCIA participants asked who was behind this change. The answer is simple, Satan. It is Satan who has clouded our minds and turned us away from God. As St. Paul tells us in Romans 1:18 – 32:

…for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.
Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.

New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the creator.” To paraphrase another line of scripture “Let those with eyes see and those with ears hear.” We only need to look around and see what is going around us to realize Satan is everywhere. It is time for spiritual warfare.

Pay attention to this,
you foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes and do not see,
who have ears and do not hear. – Jer 5:21

New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC