There was a time, when I was growing up, when what we knew as the right way of things was just known to be the right way. There was a time when our nation valued what was right. Those values were instilled by the Judeo-Christian ideals found in the history of both the Jewish and Christian religious systems. Those ideals were supported by an omnipotent God, who gave us the Ten Commandments, which stated such straight forward commands, that even kids in elementary school could understand them. Yet somehow, we have found ways to justify breaking not just these commandments, but pretty much everything else viewed sacred at one point or another by most religions of the world.

So how did this happen?

Looking back, there was a time when police officers were some of the most revered, respected, safest people to look up to. Granted, I did not grow up in intercity Chicago, but when I was a kid, we had Officer Friendly. A police officer would visit our elementary school, come into various classes each week, and talk to kids about crime prevention, stranger danger (at my school, it was House-Wise, Street Wise), and saying NO to drugs. My mom and dad both told me when we were in crowded places, "Son, if you get lost and see a police officer, walk up to him and tell him you can't find your parents." Police officers on TV were some of the coolest chracters to watch, and I remember how cool I thought it would be to wear some kind of badge of honor one day, and help people feel safe. As I got older, I realized if a police officer pulled you over because you were speeding, you did what they asked, and there seemed to be no problems. As a college student, it didn't take me long, through the handy skills of observation, to see that if you provided resistence to what officers told you to do, there were consequences - usually involving those shiny bracelets. This was enough for me to understand all the various reasons police officers were there, and what law enforcement meant. But times, they have changed!

Now, I know there is a large number of people that still show support and trust in the direction of law enforcement, but I would say because some bad apples tried their hand at treating people differently from the way officers are supposed to treat people, such as in the case of Rodney King, many police officers have earned a bad rap because of more and more of the bad guys gaining access to guns through illegal means. Criminals became more emboldened over the years, putting more and more officers in danger, forcing officers to think quicker on their feet, and resisting arrest more often because of the thought of being able to get away with their crimes; especially if they had a means to fight the cops. The cops were still seen as the good guys for the most part, with an admitted understanding that corruption did exist, until a certain wing of the media and a certain Administration took over, and for a long while - cops were suddenly the bad guys. The change was obvious. I wasn't a police officer back then, and I still noticed it. And because of the direction of my life choices, I found myself in law enforcement, and it was all the more evident. And the ideas I had of police officers when I was a kid were not being shared by many in the public, and the news showed people like me, and people I worked with, as always being the guys in the wrong. My, how the times have changed. But will it stop there?

I don't think so; not by a long shot.

Not only has it become common place to resist the authorities who are charged with ENFORCING our laws, but people are actually trying to buck the NATURAL law and order of things. Case and point: the Transgender IDEOLOGY!

I remember when the whole concept of cross-dressing was a big joke. There was some Dustin Hoffman movie, where he dressed as a woman. He was praised for his role because of his ability to ACT like a woman. But it was a comedy...he was ACTING. Yet now we are just supposed to be ok with men wanting to use women's restrooms, because they wear women's clothes and it makes them feel better about themselves?

This will offend some people, but at this point, I don't care; politics matter not when it comes to the right way and wrong way of things. We've known, as a society, going way back through history, that people are born as either A) a boy, or B) a girl. Now, if you want to argue with me about genetics, and things on a cellular level - well, I'm not that guy, so don't bother. I dwell in the realm of common sense. And what used to be common sense tells me that if you were born with a certain necessary body part or without said body part - THAT WAS HOW GOD MADE YOU. Now, if you're an atheist, fine - ignore me for the next little bit, especially if you need a safe space. But if you claim to be a Christian, than you should understand that God doesn't make mistakes. Yet the entire Transgender movement fights for blanket ACCEPTANCE of their thinking? I am sorry, but my God will not let me accept this thinking. If that is how THEY feel - fine. I will not judge; but I will also not condone or support it. There is a big difference between wanting people to accept you for who you are, and forcing people to accept something that to them is morally wrong as fact...and forcing them to agree with you. The irony is anything related to this issue is that the preaching of TOLERANCE is INTOLERANT with anyone who disagrees with their point of view.

That could be another topic altogether...and out of respect for some friends who are professed homosexuals, I won't even touch the topic of marriage in this one (See The Bible).

But wait; there's more.

What about what society deems acceptable on television and movies for certain viewers, of certain ages? I can think back to when I was a kid, and material in a Hardees commercial today would've forced a movie with the same scene back in the day to be at a minimum, rated PG-13. Remember the movie 'Six Pack' with Kenny Rogers? When I was little, that was a movie my mother was hesitant to let me watch...man, times they have changed!

What about network TV; news and other shows? Things like sexuality, foul language, and high violence are shown on the mainstream networks before bedtime for many kids; scenes for which my parents probably would've asked me to leave the room when I was little. Scenes of protests, with people dressed like anatomical features, or grotesque language and scenes depicted on posters and picket signs. What about what is shown on the news? Sure, they will warn viewers right before they show it...but there are some things that the news should probably just leave in the narrative form; no pictures needed, if it is from a scene of violence...unless of course they want to de-sensitize the mainstream from seeing such things as blood running down someone's face as shocking. Look, I'm a grown man, and I have even exposed my 14 year old to some things just so he is not caught off guard...but when did this become the norm?

Where does it stop? When do we start showing the beheadings committed by ISIS on the mainstream? We shouldn't should we - that would be ridiculous. Yet, how do you know where to draw the line?

The Bible is God's Word, and it tells us what is right. It contains violence, and everything you could expect in an R-rated epic movie. Yet, the entire story is told teaching the understanding of what is right, and what is wrong in the eyes of God.

For far too long, we as a nation have turned away from Biblical principles that helped formulate laws in this country. Yes, there is separation of Church and State. But emotional thinking, and people in the MINORITY were given too loud of a voice over time, and the INTOLERANCE of the minority to anyone who disagrees has superceded societal trends in the good ol' USA. I pray every day for our country, and I also see little things every day that make me still hold on to hope that we will come up out of this downward spiral of division and immoral standards. But there was a time when we respected the majority, and the majority had a better grasp of right and wrong. Without God, you really have no need for a right or wrong, but I digress. Continue to pray that God is victorious in the end as He says, but our brightest days might just be behind us.