In the years before the nation of God's people were taken to captivity in the land of Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah lamented through mournful tones the depraved hearts of the people.  He sought to bring the hearts of the people back to God and instill once again devotion to purity and righteousness.  He was fighting a losing battle as the people rejected his message of salvation and fell deeper and deeper into sin.

When God charged Jeremiah with preaching to His people, He did not blame the leaders only but included all the people. "For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land-- against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land."  (Jeremiah 1:18)  In God's judgment upon the nation of Israel, God expressed plainly the responsibility of all people for the state of sin that prevailed in the land.  The government officials were to blame for carrying the hearts of the people away from God.  The religious leaders were accused of taking the love of the Lord God from their hearts and allowing the worship of idols.  The people were not to be held innocent as they should not have allowed their kings, princes and priests to lead them astray.

From the words of the prophets and men of God who rose to bring the people back to God, the message of guilt was passed upon all men.  As the nation stumbled on the road to Babylon, chained with fetters and hooks and smelling the stench of death in their nostrils, they could not raise a hand against their rulers and blame them for their plight.  God held the people accountable for they "loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; he will remember their iniquity now, and punish their sins." (Jeremiah 14:10) Unlike any nation before us, we have a blessing bestowed upon us that gives us a greater voice and avenue of choice than ever before - and possibly ever again.  It is not difficult to see in the past 50 years how much our country has changed.  Divorce is rampant as marriages fall apart at the whim of selfish hearts; adultery and fornication is an accepted norm of life; homosexuality is lauded as a "alternate lifestyle" and accepted with open arms; wars have to be fought over drugs; causes must be organized against alcohol and its impact; teenage killers; schools with no controls allowed; the list goes on and on. 

It is accepted that we live in a world given over to the moralities of humanistic desire.  In a large part it is understood that evil will have a greater victory over humanity with its lust.  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  (Matthew 7:13,14)  As children of God we must continue to fight the good fight of faith and never give up in the corner of the world we may find ourselves.

The lives of Christian must shine as lights in the world and influence the community as the salt of the earth.  One tool available in our nation that can be effective in combating humanism is voting.  We have the power of choice and the voice of the child of God to express that vote in saying "No" to laws that would accept homosexuality; "No" to laws that would give more freedom to bars and drinking establishments; "No" to activities that destroy the laws of God and His Truth. Our nation will fall one day as all nations will.  Let it be said that we did all we could to stem the tide of humanism and fulfill a right given to a great nation as we have today.  The Christian must act to be the salt of the earth.