Outstanding characteristics of a decadent society

The recrudescence of religious intolerance, of racial animosity, and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences of selfishness, of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism, of lawlessness, of drunkenness and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for, and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures; the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control; the lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude towards marriage and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the degeneracy of art and music, the infection of literature, and the corruption of the press; the extension of the influence and activities of those "prophets of decadence" who advocate companionate marriage, who preach the philosophy of nudism, who call modesty an intellectual fiction, who refuse to regard the procreation of children as the sacred and primary purpose of marriage, who denounce religion as an opiate of the people, who would, if given free rein, lead back the human race to barbarism, chaos, and ultimate extinction -- these appear as the outstanding characteristics of a decadent society, a society that must either be reborn or perish.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 187)

Comments

  1. This is great stuff!

    Western society today is now in the late stages of decadence preceding complete social collapse. We had a glimpse of that coming collapse with the recent London riots.

    Shoghi Effendi was a prophet of the impending doom that now faces Western civilization. I don't know much about Shoghi Effendi or Baha'ism (I'm a Roman Catholic), but I agree with this stuff 100%. Shoghi Effendi was right! Western society must change fundamentally right now or die.

    ReplyDelete
  2. look up the Baha'i Faith at www.bahai.org

    ReplyDelete

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