SocietyWatch
40 percent of U.S. births occur out of wedlock
A study published by the United Nations Population Fund on Oct. 17, 2018, found that 40 percent of births in the United States happen outside of marriage. In 1970, the figure was 10 percent. This quadrupling of out-of-wedlock births within three generations is a major societal shift. With millions of babies being born to unmarried couples and single mothers, the need for marriage itself is being questioned.
The U.S. Census Bureau released a report Nov. 15, 2017, detailing figures that contribute to the rise of out-of-wedlock births. From 1950 to 2017, the percentage of women who married fell from 65 to 51 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of women who never married rose from 20 to 30 percent. This decline in the percentage of couples marrying has not corresponded to a drop in couples engaging in sexual activity or living together outside of marriage. From 2007 to 2016, the number of cohabiting adults in the U.S. rose from 14 million to 18 million. This moral breakdown in society is a sure sign of national collapse.
Synagogue shooting intensifies political division
Robert Bowers entered a synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on October 27 and opened fire on dozens of Jews. He murdered 11 people before police arrived to subdue him. Two other civilians and four law enforcement officers were injured. Victims included Rose Mallinger, who had three children and multiple grandchildren; Joyce Fienberg, a research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh; and Jerry Rabinowitz, a gregarious physician. Other victims included a dentist, two brothers, and a couple who had been married in the same synagogue over 60 years ago. The Anti-Defamation League said the shooting was the deadliest attack on Jews in American history.
President Donald Trump visited the site of the shooting on October 30, along with his wife, daughter and government officials. He ordered that flags be flown at half-mast in honor of the victims. Yet, despite these gestures and the president’s repeated comments decrying anti-Semitism, many on the left have blamed him for the attack. Thousands of protesters held a “Pittsburgh Loves All Our Neighbors” march. One sign read, “Hate Enabler in Chief, Fake President, Fear President, Lyin Don.” Others compared the president to a Nazi. Instances of incivility, riots and shootings will only increase as the rhetoric intensifies. Ezekiel 7:23 prophesies such a condition, stating, “Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.”
Only half of Americans have faith in democracy
Only 51 percent of Americans say they have faith in the country’s democracy, according to an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll conducted in late October. The survey found that 37 percent of respondents said they have lost faith in American democracy, and 9 percent said they never had faith in American democracy.
The dissatisfaction ties in with a forecast that the Trumpet has made for decades: the breakdown of the political order in the United States. The Bible shows that the descendants of ancient Israel include the United States and Britain. Isaiah prophesies that these modern Israelites will become sick in their reasoning and faint in their hearts. They will lose faith in government institutions and “revolt more and more” (Isaiah 1:4-7).
Democratic Party co-chair supports transgenderism for 8-year-olds
Democratic National Committee Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison is pushing for public schools to provide “safe spaces” for homosexuals and lesbians. He is also voicing support for children as young as 8 years old to identify as another gender. In the lead-up to midterm elections, Ellison approved a campaign ad featuring parents of an 8-year-old biological boy who identifies as a girl. The couple warned viewers that Ellison’s Republican opponent for the office of Minnesota attorney general opposes boys using girls’ restrooms in schools and vice versa. The Bible warns that “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind” will inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Yet some of America’s highest political leaders forcefully advocate teaching such behavior to 8-year-old children.
