The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-12
Religious Decddence
Spells Political Ruin
lesson March 10, 2 Kin

Lesson March 10. 2 Kings 17:t-1s.
This lesson rings down the curtain
on "A great tragedy. God is very
patient and long suffering, and he
gives everyone fair warning, oft re-
pcated. but there IL an end TO his
patience. After every chance had
been given 20 make of the Hebrew
nations people who should pre-
serve the true religion and hold IL
up 20 eulighten the world, Israel.
and later. judah, rejected his favor
and protection and gave themselves
up TO the ways Of the heather round
about them. Every precaution had
been taken TO defend them from
the lures of the heather world. but
the human desire to run counter to
restraint and to crafty their own
desires finally prevailed and the
penalty had 20 come. Warnings had
been given by prophet and seer.
They knew that the way OF sin led
to destruction and the way OF fidel-
ity 20 JchOva led to safety and pros
perity. lot In spite OF that thCy
Initiated their neighbors by setting
up pagan shrines and worshiping
the gods of the heather. As "a final
result the 10 tribes of Israel were
wiped off the map and Judah was
left alone Of all of Jacobs seed.
Insldlousness Of Sin.
Tho effect OF sin is destructive,
whether 10 be to the individual or
to nations. And the prevalence Of
sin does not come as revolution.
10 comes by little things, first pro-
tested, then endured and, lastly,
embraced. We do not suppose that
people, individually or as IA body,
become wicked or disaffected all at
once, nor by any overwhelming
change OF sentiment. Most people
think they are still serving the Lord
in way, while little sins take pos
session OF their lives and pet in
iquities become so common they are
finally regarded as matters Of
course and are winked at even by
the elect There are always a few
faithful left TO warn of the danger,
but their voice is drowned in the
cries for n broader" and more
liberal" STYLE of rectltude, and the
faithful ones are likely TO be ostra =
Ci5ed as bigotod alarmists and, like
Ahab with Elijah, their advice is
disregarded and their presence
Stunned as n nuisance and inconven-
fence. Sinful habits, as first
seemingly immaterial but growing in
Importance, gradually formed and
deemed of little import, gam control
OF the individual, and disloyal and
thoughtless perverted individuals
react on each other, and so the
icavcn or the virus of sin perme-
atcs the whole mess. Many things
are tolerated in public and social
life that seem too inconsiderable to
excite protest, yet which lead the
people to lOoscr moral convictions
and liberal idea OF Righteousness.
This breeds q lack of discrimination
that enables many harmful things to
pass muster with the masses and
hardens their perceptions until they
fail to see the peril. Many things
which, as far as we can see, have
no evil in themselves, are so con-
stituted AS TO deaden The conscience
to the right and make 1t easy to
drop into worse habits. This is not
plea for the extreme blgotry
which Is too often mistaken for real
piety but IL is true that many
things whose evil tendencies are not
apparent go long way toward un-
dcrmtning the activity OF conscience.
Church and State.
Judah and Israel had a govern
mont directly under the command
OF Jehovah, but they were not con-
tent with that. Theoretically a
government under Gods control is
tho very best possible. Practically
speaking, our country, with the
character of its rulers, the preva
lence Of the principles Of Godlineas,
Is unspeakably superior to that OF
tho Hebrew nations. There Is so
much OF n tendency for men 10 take
the name OF God as a justification
for the doing the evil things. Ever
since the days of Jesus civil govern
ments have claimed the right 10
punish persons not thinking accord
ing TO state standards. The charac-
ter OF the rulers and of the ruling
classes decided for all what was the
standard right thinking and wor-
ship. While nominally the state I'm
this country has no dealings with
Gods viii as revealed in the Bible.
cannot command repentance oren-
force the Ten Commandments, vet
there Is a new DriurinIp ia tho ,,,orId