THE NEW SATYRICON: AMERICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY

This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy   Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers incontinent, ...despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  Timothy 3: 1-5.

It may not be coincidental that American popular culture these days is reminiscent of Petronius (27 AD - 66 AD), the Roman voluptuary, satirist and courtier whose Satyricon is sometimes cited by scholars as being the first literary work in novel form in Western civilization.

First exposed as a college sophomore to Petronius in a course in Roman literature, the degeneracy of   Nero's era was more than a little unsettling for a wet-behind-the-ears 19-year-old. Be that as it may, from the standpoint of today's standards, I can imagine that Petronius might very well be at home in 21st century America.

If Petronius were standing in line at any number of grocery store check-outs, I can well imagine that he would happily flip through the pages of National Enquirer and The Globe, two publications that put great stock in besting each other in their world of a sensational style of journalism based on revelations of unrestrained sex and bizarre crimes. Certainly, any voluptuary worthy of the name would want to know that Katy Cuoco - sorry, but her identity escapes me - is "addicted to bad boys", and that Simon Cowell has "...dirty secrets."  In addition, The Globe has recently broken a graphically descriptive story of the painful death throes afflicting Queen Elizabeth.  In Brownsville, Texas, where I live, there are no longer any major bookstores in operation; but, from my own informal tabulation at my local HEB store, there would appear to be ample readers of these publications.

In a land with a desire for violent entertainment, an ongoing sexual fixation, compounded by wide-spread gender-confusion, and which is rapidly accommodating and appeasing homosexuality throughout all areas of society, Petronius would have an unlimited setting from which to draw material for further writing in the same vein as his Satyricon..

That more and more people choose to view spectacles on TV, or on the silver screen, depicting all manner of death and disfigurement cannot be disputed.  In many ways - just, for example, consider the "sport" of ultimate fighting - we are not far removed from the entertainment provided throughout arenas in the Roman world in Petronius's time.

The modern technology facilitating the spread of pornography would delight Petronius, as would the ready availability of mind-altering drugs.  And, let us not overlook the the sky-rocketing divorce rate and the resulting break-ups of home life, which produce the types of rootless individuals so easily preyed upon by a degenerate society.

With the ultimate decline of the Roman Republic came a withering away of the virtues that had sustained Roman society for centuries, thus establishing a wide comfort zone for perversion, depravity and the orgy-filled lives of Petronius and his fellows.  With this in mind, what are we to make of our world today, which encourages extra-marital relations, "sexual exploration" and total liberation as "...normal and healthy?"

A symptom of the waning of traditional American culture may also be seen in the ongoing decline of mainline Christian denominations. The hierarchies of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran and other churches have all been rushing like lemmings to accede and adapt to popular culture. Consequently, Americans have been fleeing their pews in sky-rocketing  numbers.  At the same time, Hollywood and the entertainment industry continue to turn out motion pictures which ridicule traditional American values, including the Church.

"ONCE UPON A TIME, SO VERY LONG AGO..."

Petronius, owing to his fall from favor in the Roman court, took his own life, an act that was not uncommon in his day.  In our own death-centered culture, suicide is widely seen as a perfectly acceptable option and, along with growing acceptance of euthanasia, drives an attitude which cheapens human life.  That 50 million children have been aborted since Roe v. Wade and that organizations such as Planned Parenthood sanction partial-birth abortion now undergird a society with many who would favor forcing Christians opposed to such practices to support them with their tax dollars.

Alexis de Toqueville, commenting on the strength of America, wrote:

"Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because she is good, and if ever America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Looked at today, America appears less and less "good."  But beyond its decline in goodness is a growing gulf between two Americas, both of which condemn each other.  One America denounces the other as bigoted, homophobic and racist, while the other America persists in its adherence to traditional values and beliefs, in total opposition to the new religion of political correctness and multiculturalism.  In effect, this is a culture war of major proportions for America's heart and soul.  The battle is not yet totally joined, but we are nearing an historical juncture which will make it inevitable that this basic issue will be resolved. Will the moorings of morality, decency and godliness be just a dim memory from another age?  Will the outcome of cultural conflict result in a new Petronian order, or in an America which reverses course and returns to its roots of greatness, exceptionalism and basic goodness?  Like it or not, you will likely be a part of the decision-making process!