The world today is much like the life of Dorian Gray. If that name is unfamiliar to you, it is the story by Oscar Wilde of a young man whose portrait is painted by an artist.

The young man, Dorian Gray, is so pleased with his attractive appearance that he wishes he could always look that way while only the image in the painting bears the scars of sin. Somehow his wish comes true, and the young man lives an increasingly immoral life while only his portrait bears the ugly scars of consequence.

Eventually the artist sees the picture and confronts Dorian Gray, pleading with him to repent and return to a godly lifestyle. He quotes a passage from the Bible, telling Dorian that "though your sins are as scarlet, they can become white as snow." Dorian becomes enraged and kills the artist. He then plunges the knife into the painting, only to fall to the ground mortally wounded, while the painting returns to its pristine appearance and the ugliness it contained is transferred to the body of Dorian Gray.

Society believes that we can have all the benefits of living any way we please without any visible consequences.

These modern ideas had their foundation in the theories of a utopian society put forward by Karl Marx. When it becomes obvious that this approach is full of problems, society attempts to mask the symptoms instead of dealing with the root of the problem. Why? Because to do so would mean facing the reality of self discipline and giving up some of those apparent pleasures. Naturally, anyone who comes forward and declares that there is a moral right and wrong is viciously attacked.

Fortunately, we can take comfort from the lessons of the past. The nations of Israel and Judah both went through similar struggles, not once but repeatedly. Each time the strength of godly men stood out and brought the people back to God and away from chaos.

After the indescribable evil inflicted upon Judah by Manasseh around 700BC, the country was rebuilt by a young boy named Josiah. He demonstrated that it is indeed possible for a few people to make a dramatic spiritual impact.

next: the mood of secularization

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A new view of man's nature

Karl Marx, together with Friedrich Engels in 1842, formulated a view of man's nature that borrowed heavily from Confucianism. Marx and Engels argued that man was inherently good, and if given the right social environment all that good would shine through and illuminate the world with righteousness. Until that point, most cultures generally agreed that mankind was inherently evil, with a rebellious nature requiring legal or interpersonal control to keep it in check in order to protect society.

Of course, as we now understand from viewing the Marxist-Leninist "utopia" of communism, humanity is not inherently good. While many people are kind, considerate, and generally peaceful, the core of humanity is self-centered rebellion. Even in the highly controlled culture of the Soviet Union, millions lied, bribed, stole, cheated, hurt, and killed others for the sake of status and power.