Bread And Circuses Must End

I just finished reading a book by John Haywood titled "Chronicles of the Ancient World." If any of you are interested in ancient history but don't have time to spend months or years reading 20 volumes of detailed textbooks, I heartily recommend this little book. I like the way John laid out the work.

For example, in chapter two called "The Widening World 2000-1000 B.C.," the author gives a two-paragraph overview, then breaks the chapter down into 20 time-segments. In each segment he explains what happened in many places such as Egypt, Babylon, Nubia, Assyria, and Palestine. In those 21 pages of chapter two, the author covers basic world-history of the period, and the reading is as easy and as exciting as a novel.

I found this to be a good primer both for those just beginning historical studies, as well as being a good reminder for the scholar.

But what surprised me was page 232 titled "Bread and Circuses." It begins with, "Roman emperors made great efforts to keep the people of Rome fed and entertained. They gave out doles of bread or grain, held public feasts at religious festivals. Traditionally, public entertainments in Rome were free, paid for either by the emperor himself or by ambitious senators trying to win popular support for consular elections."

It reminded me of many of America's public officials today. Somehow they have been duped into believing that some folk deserve whatever they want -- whether they are U.S. citizens or not and whether or not they can pay for it -- while other hard-working Americans deserve to pay for the handouts, even to the point of going broke. Somehow these officials have been trained, much like Pavlovian dogs, to acquiesce or give in whenever some groups go on a lawless rampage. Yet when the law-abiding taxpayers have needs to be addressed, these officials often don't have time to respond.

This upside-down system eventually caused the Roman Empire to implode. It had to! That kind of governing gives no incentive for the masses to work for their keep, and it depletes the resources of the few who are ordered to pay the bill. In addition, immoral, contradictory, and unethical laws are passed to please some folk, but it makes criminals of many of those who must uphold and enforce the laws.

I'm not going into any of the myriad of details for there are too many to itemize. But the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 had it right when he said, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies."

Quoting from The Journals of Captain John Smith: A Jamestown Biography, page 139, Captain John Smith said, "You must obey this now for a law, that he that will not work shall not eat (except by sickness he be disabled). For the labors of thirty or forty honest and industrious men shall not be consumed to maintain a hundred and fifty idle loiterers." Captain Smith was wise; and how well those words should be applied today.

In order to bring order out of chaos, America must stop her head-long plunge into immorality, gluttony, evil entertainment, and what Scripture calls "unnatural affections." And the only way that will happen is when we, as a nation, turn back to our roots -- back to God.

Rome was one of the great empires of the world. But Rome, and other empires who indulged in the same deviant behavior, collapsed. Are we going to let America -- perhaps the greatest nation ever to exist -- succumb in the same manner? For the same reasons?

It's time for us to wake up to reality, and it's past time for the Bread and Circuses to come to an end.

GENE LINZEY IS A SPEAKER, AUTHOR, MENTOR AND PRESIDENT OF THE SILOAM SPRINGS WRITERS GUILD. SEND COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.

Editorial on 05/23/2018