The America I grew up in

By Chuck Baldwin

The America I knew as a child is gone. The country we know as America
today
does not even remotely resemble the nation I grew up in. Oh, the Stars
and Stripes still wave over the courthouse, but it is not the same
country. In the country where I grew up, you could leave your doors
unlocked all day and nothing would be disturbed when you came home. You
could walk or ride a bicycle in any part of town and not be afraid.

In the country where I grew up, we opened every school day with a
prayer to God and a pledge to the flag. What’s more, we often read the
Bible and sang songs about America. We were taught that George
Washington was the father of our country and we would all do well to
become just like him. We were taught that the United States of America
was the greatest nation on earth. We learned that Communism was evil and
freedom was worth dying for.

In the country where I grew up, sports stars worked as hard at being
good role models as they did at hitting home runs or scoring touchdowns.
We could go to the Saturday matinee and never hear God’s name taken in
vain or see acts of fornication on the big screen. In the country where
I grew up, there was talk once of a girl who got pregnant out of
wedlock, but I never personally knew who it was. Drugs were something
you got at the pharmacy, and we never heard of sexually transmitted
diseases.

In the country where I grew up, all the neighbors knew each other.
Neighborhood watch wasn’t something the police department had to teach
you to do; neither was the police station a familiar place. There was
talk once that a boy was arrested for doing something bad; I don’t know
who it was, though. We were familiar with the fire station in the
country where I grew up. We knew the firemen by their first names; they
often gave us candy and let us ring the bell and blow the sirens. On
special days, they would let us slide down the fire pole.

In the country where I grew up, the children’s mothers didn’t have
to work outside the home. The wages, taxes and cost of living were such
that a family could live comfortably on what the father earned. Mom was
always there when I came home from school. I’m glad about that. We
didn’t have all the fancy stuff that families have today, but we had
each other and somehow we never missed that other stuff. Some say we are
better off now than we were then. They say it’s never been better than
it is now. We have more money, bigger houses, and fancier cars than in
the old days. We take longer and more frequent vacations. We know all
about stock options and investment portfolios. So, why don’t I feel
better about this new country of mine?

I suppose it all depends on what a person considers to be valuable.
If material prosperity is the standard by which value is judged, America
is in great shape. This is the most prosperous time our country has ever
known. Yet, back in that country where I grew up, I was taught that
material things were the least valuable things that men could possess.
Things like courage, character, conviction and compassion were
considered to be of much greater worth. What happened to that country I
grew up in? If anyone knows where I can find it, please tell me. My
grandchildren are growing up now, and they are growing up in a strange
land.


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Chuck Baldwin

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the host of Chuck Baldwin Live, a daily, two hour long radio call-in show on the events of the day. In addition to writing two books of theology, "Subjects Seldom Spoken On" and "This Is The Life," he has edited and produced "The Freedom Documents," a collection of 50 of the greatest documents of American history. Read more of Chuck Baldwin's articles here.