Death of a Culture

Guest essay by Martin and Deidre Bobgan

The Bible stands on its own as far as being a Christian’s authoritative guide. It does not need research to support its truth claims. However, there is strong research that confirms the necessity for adhering to God’s design for sexual relationship: one man and one woman uniting in an enduring monogamous relationship. After years of research into numerous ancient cultures, Joseph D. Unwin (1895-1936), a British ethnologist and social anthropologist at Oxford University and Cambridge University, wrote a book entitled Sex and Culture. Before coming to his conclusions, Unwin gathered a great deal of data from 86 different people groups (80 of which he identifies as uncivilized societies and 6 of which he identifies as civilized societies).²

He explains:

My inductive survey of civilized societies is limited to the Sumerians, Babylonians (to twentieth century B.C.), Hellenes, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and English. I also make a few references to the Arabs (Moors), and a deductive suggestion about the Persians, Macedonians, Huns, and Mongols. When I speak of “civilized” societies I refer only to the following sixteen historical peoples: Sumerians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Hellenes (3), Persians, Hindus, Chinese, Japanese, Sassanids, Arabs (Moors), Romans, Teutons, and Anglo-Saxons (i.e. ourselves). According to my terminology any society not included in this list was ‘uncivilized.’³

Unwin was looking for evidence to show the degree to which sexual permissiveness or restraint affected cultures throughout history. His investigation required a great deal of information, included in his over 710-page book. He was not a Christian, but found that societies thrived better when the sexual relationships were monogamous and that they deteriorated as the sexual restraints were removed. Regarding the societies he investigated, he says:

These societies lived in different geographical environments; they belonged to different racial stocks; but the history of their marriage customs is the same. In the beginning each society had the same ideas in regard to sexual regulations. Then the same struggles took place; the same sentiments were expressed; the same changes were made; the same results ensued. Each society reduced its sexual opportunity to a minimum and, displaying great social energy, flourished greatly. Then it extended its sexual opportunity; its energy decreased, and faded away. The one outstanding feature of the whole story is its unrelieved monotony.⁴

In surveying the facts, he found:

1.  that when they began to display great social energy the societies had reduced their sexual opportunity by the adoption of absolute monogamy;
2. that in each case the society was dominated by the group which displayed the greatest relative energy;
3. that as soon as the sexual opportunity of the society, or of a group within the society, was extended, the energy of the society, or of the group within it, decreased and finally disappeared;
4. that whatever the racial extraction of the people, and whatever the geographical environment in which they lived, the manner in which they modified their absolute monogamy was the same in every case.⁵

He notes:

Thus, it seems to be true that, just as a decrease of sexual opportunity produces a cultural advance, so an increase results in a cultural decline. And, basing my conclusions on the same kind of evidence, I consider that the finest period of Mayan history was already past when the white man arrived in Central America, for it seems that among the Mayans also the demand for pre-nuptial chastity had been relaxed.⁶

Everyone should pay attention to what Unwin found, because history repeats itself. The following could happen here as well:

The group within the society which suffered the greatest continence displayed the greatest energy, and dominated the society. When absolute monogamy was preserved only for a short time, the energy was only expansive, but when the rigorous tradition was inherited by a number of generations the energy became productive. As soon as the institution of modified monogamy, that is, marriage and divorce by mutual consent, became part of the inherited tradition of a complete new generation, the energy, either of the whole society or of a group within the society, decreased, and then disappeared.⁷ (Bold added.)

After conducting all his research, Unwin clearly saw the absolute importance of one man and one woman forming a family unit within an enduring monogamous relationship. In an article titled “Monogamy as a Condition of Social Energy,” Unwin declared:

The whole of human history does not contain a single instance of a group becoming civilized unless it has been absolutely monogamous, nor is there any example of a group retaining its culture after it has adopted less rigorous customs.⁸

From the American Dream to America’s Demise

Unwin’s research demonstrates the importance of absolute monogamy for a strong civilization and how cultures deteriorate when they move away from absolute monogamy to sexual permissiveness. He saw that when cultures move in this direction, they are deceived into thinking that they are progressing onward and upward to a better society, just as the numerous movers and shakers of our own sexual revolution no doubt thought they were advancing society. Unwin comments on this false sense of confidence:

Then, convinced that the cultural process is a progressive development and that our own culture is the most developed of all cultures, we assume that every change in our cultural condition is evidence of higher cultural development. Anything which is subsequent in time is regarded as more enlightened and more developed.⁹

Indeed, most American citizens believe that we are involved in a great cultural advance in every area. Advances in health, medicine, technology, and affluence can be deceptive, even while there has been an increase in such conditions as depression and other mental distresses. What can be wrong? God has blessed this country for many years and He is longsuffering, but the consequences of outright disobedience to His sexual design for mankind will eventually come to fruition, both personally and nationally. Rather than viewing sexual freedom as a blessing, this country needs to recognize it as a curse, described in Romans 1:18-32 and 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

God promised that He would not destroy mankind again with a world-wide Flood (Gen. 8:21-22). However, His patience did finally run out with Sodom and Gomorrah, and he erased them from the face of the earth, except for Lot and his family.

One would have to be spiritually blind not to see the similarity between the spiritual and sexual degradation that existed in Sodom and Gomorrah and the spiritual and sexual deterioration in America. Add up the current national sins in America: Darwinian evolution, the sexual revolution, abortion (Roe v. Wade), same sex marriages (Obergefell v. Hodges), disregard for God, rising narcissism (2 Tim. 3:2-5), and widespread sodomy.

Many in America do not want this country to be “one Nation under God.” Once that happens, the many blessings showered on America by God will disappear, which could be its demise.

“Doomsday Clock”

The “Doomsday Clock” has been on every cover of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947. The concern at first was the annihilation of the world through atomic warfare, but later on other concerns were added, such as climate change, international politics, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies. Since its inception the “Doomsday Clock” has had the minute hand just minutes before midnight, which signifies the moment of global catastrophe and the end of the civilization as we know it.¹⁰ The minute hand has moved back and forth over the years from 2 minutes in 1953 to 17 minutes in 1991 to 3 minutes in 2016 to 2 ½ minutes in 2017.¹¹ Interestingly, these scientists are only looking at physical and political evidence—not Scripture. They keep changing the clock by observing what’s going on in the world.

With the threat of wars, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and diseases all around us, no one can say exactly what might happen at any given time. However, we do know that earthquakes and floods damage sanitation systems. Without sanitation, viruses and bacteria can spread rapidly through vast areas. There could be a multiplicity of diseases, and, although many of these diseases may not be solely sexually transmitted, those caused by viruses and bacteria in the mouth or anus could easily be transmitted through sodomy. In fact, acts of sodomy could be the primary pathway for the next pandemic to infect and annihilate much of mankind. Just as God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah to cleanse the earth from their abominations, so the day will come when God will intervene with judgement.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (Eph. 5:6).

Endnotes

1. Excerpted from Martin & Deidre Bobgan. The Sodomy of Christians: The Biblical View. Santa Barbara, CA: EastGate Publishers, 2017, pp. 113-118, 173-174.
2. Joseph D. Unwin. Sex and Culture. London: Oxford University Press, 1934, pp. viii-ix, available as an electronic resource at https://archive.org/details/b20442580.
3. Ibid., p. ix.
4. Ibid., p. 381.
5. Ibid., p. 382.
6. Ibid., p. 365.
7. Ibid., pp. 311-12.
8. Joseph D. Unwin, “Monogamy as a Condition of Social Energy,” The Hibbert Journal, Vol. XXV, 1927, p. 662.
9. Ibid.
10. “Doomsday Clock,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Clock.
11. “Its Two and a Half Minutes to Midnight,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, http://thebulletin.org/clock/2017.

The original of this article appeared online and in the September-October 2018 PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter Vol 26, No. 5, circular email, an outreach of PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries.

Martin and Deidre Bobgan, founders of the PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries, nonprofit 50l(c)(3) tax-exempt, have spoken on psychology and Christianity at numerous conferences and churches and on radio and television. Together they have authored 21 books. Martin’s education: University of Minnesota, B. A., B. S., M. A.; University of Colorado, Doctorate in Educational Psychology. Deidre’s education: University of Minnesota, B. S.; University of California, M. A. in English.

© 2018 Used by Permission

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