ABOUT FAITH & FREEDOM

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Sodom Sunday: "The Cut Flower Syndrome"

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This coming Sunday marks the first day that homosexuals can legally "marry" in Washington State.

Those who advanced the redefinition of marriage are celebratory, to say the least.

Seattle's First Baptist Church and others are joining the celebration as they break with over 5,000 years of societal norm, and even more tragically, defy God and His model for marriage.

Recently I have been receiving a number of comments both publicly and privately from homosexual advocates, reminding me that marriage has been redefined and the sky has not fallen. Some have reminded me that Massachusetts has had same-sex marriage for years, and everything is just fine.

But it isn't fine.

We are not only defying God's model for marriage, we are violating a principle of nature that has absolute consequences. We are living in The Cut Flower Syndrome.


The Cut Flower Syndrome.

I first became aware of the term, "The Cut Flower Culture," from the writings of Will Herberg. He was an American Jewish sociologist and theologian who turned from his Communist roots to join the Conservative movement several decades ago.

In Judaism and Modern Man he wrote:
"The attempt made in recent decades by secularist thinkers to disengage the moral principles of western civilization from their scripturally based religious context, in the assurance that they could live a life of their own as "humanistic" ethics, has resulted in our "cut flower culture." Cut flowers retain their original beauty and fragrance, but only so long as they retain the vitality that they have drawn from their now-severed roots; after that is exhausted, they wither and die. So with freedom, brotherhood, justice, and personal dignity — the values that form the moral foundation of our civilization. Without the life-giving power of the faith out of which they have sprung, they possess neither meaning nor vitality."

We continue to detach ourselves from the source of our beauty---we are severing our roots. With bouquet in hand, we say, "See, nothing has changed. They are still beautiful."

"Everything is just fine."

They will be sustained as long as they can live off the vitality of the roots from which they were severed. Then they will wilt. And die.

Legalized abortion is a severing from the roots of the principle of the sanctity of life.

Redefining marriage is removing the most fundamental human component for social health and human sustainability from its roots and declaring everything will continue in its original vitality and beauty.

It won't.

We are severing ourselves from the roots that made us a great nation.

We are in the wilting stage.

Unless and until we return to the roots of Judeo-Christian values upon which this nation was birthed, we will continue to wither and die. And celebrate. And tell ourselves, "Everything is just fine."

God help us.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.