Why Civilizations Fail 3

There is a HUGE book called “A Study of History” in twelve volumes and written by Sir Arnold Toynbee in 1987. In the fifth volume subtitled “The Disintegrations of Civilizations” he gives us six different reasons why civilizations throughout history have collapsed. Edmund Burke said “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” And so let us take a look at the six reasons civilization fails.

Reason Number 1: Cultural Suicide

Reason Number 2: Truancy or Escapism

Reason Number 3: A Sense of Promiscuity

Toynbee doesn’t consider promiscuity in JUST the sexual connotation but describes it as “a state of mind that indiscriminately accepts anything and everything in order to find meaning and perhaps stave off impending doom.” It is an “uncritical tolerance and unfocused embrace of the melting pot in religion, literature, art, manners and culture.”

In ancient cultures Babylon is probably the best example of this. They believed that the gods communicated their plans to humans by signs in natural phenomenon like entrails of sacrificed animals and “tea leaves”. Hepatoscopy, in which the livers of sacrificed animals were studied and compared with inscribed “model” livers of clay was a common profession. Diviners of every kind were documented and accepted. Lecanomancy, the spreading of oil on water and belomancy, the shaking of a quiver of arrows and then dropping them to see which direction the first arrow fell, and many others types of signs and portents. Ezekiel talked about how bad it was in the Bible. (Ez. 21:21)

The kings would employ scores of these diviners and magicians. Not just for war but hunting and even choosing a wife and checking her for her child-bearing ability. It came to the point where ALL the decisions were impacted by signs and portents and those who could read them … MORE than the kings choice and decision.

While we are not as impacted by signs and portents (even though there is a lot of that around) we are impacted by the tolerance and unfocused embrace of multi-culturalism and religious nebulosity. When we embrace and believe in anything and everything we essentially embrace nothing. What we are left with is a primordial chaotic goo that is ripe for the latest shaman to manipulate, promising wealth and happiness if you just follow this or that formula.

Again, the US and Western culture is fitting easily into the signs of a culture in demise. 

There is no limiting God’s grace to come and redeem this Western Mankind, but history is not on our side. It will have to be God who pulls us back from the brink.