The breakdown of the Roman Empire has some striking similarities to what is happening in America today. Today we are seeing a breakdown in every aspect of our culture from morals, to work ethic, to even basic social structure. For those who are interested in politics and other mainstream social issues, there is often a tendency to ask the question, “what is causing such a breakdown?” Often times, that can even be a puzzling question for the believer. To see an example and illustrate the answer to this question, we will again take a moment to look back in history.
Originally, Rome was a nation that was based upon hard work, simplicity, discipline, and character. Even those who were considered to be “nobles” plowed their own land and were ready to fight for their country at a moments notice. As the nation began to develop, they began to expand their borders through military campaigns known historically as the Punic Wars. The increased focus upon conquest, new land, and greed began to adversely affect the entire Roman culture. The focus upon external conquests led to a loss on family focus. The shift led to a breakdown in morals, family values, and often even the dissolution of marriages. That is a result that may well have been due to the fact that the male head of the home was so often gone to war, leaving the family without the proper leadership.
In sync with the breakdown of the family was the breakdown of the national economy. As Rome encompassed other nations, national trade increased and the price of imported goods dropped greatly. As the market was inundated by new trade, Roman farmers often could not compete and would be forced into the cities in search of work. Even then, the farmers were often hard pressed to find work due to the prolific slave market. That progression led to cities being inundated with jobless, hungry mobs of impoverished citizens.
On the other end of the spectrum was the upper class that leveraged the national shift to their own personal benefit. As the smaller farmers were forced into selling their farms to move to the city, the wealthier men of the empire were able to buy up huge estates that were managed and cared for by slaves. In fact, at one point, all of the land in Italy was owned by less than 2,000 men. Other members of the upper class were able to secure similar monopolies in the area of business. The one thing that most of the upper class had in common was that most of them were somehow involved in government. The resulting system was one of extreme debauchery and corruption.
As the upper class began to develop, they realized a definite need for controlling the mobs. Instead of trying to better the impoverished, the rich upper class did only what they found personally expedient. Often times, the upper class did such things as buying the votes of the people by handing out bread and entertaining the people with the gladiatorial games. As the people began to embrace this demeaning new way of life, they lost every ounce of dignity that they had left. The Roman civilization became a culture that was focused on handouts and entertainment, not family and the cultivation of values. In short, Rome had become an entirely entertainment driven society. From that point the corruption only grew worse and though there were periods of reformation, the breakdown eventually led to the collapse of the Roman society.
The most important thing to take from this tragedy is the fact that it all began with the breakdown of the family. Regardless of cultural background, the proper management of a household and the rearing of children is an extremely difficult task. That being true, there must be solid, consistent principles taught and applied within the home. When they are not, the results are catastrophic.
Sadly, the same thing is happening in America. The difference is that the downfall began through a simple shift in the educational field. That shift was the institutionalizing of education. Through the implementation of a public school system, the schools were entrusted with the responsibility that actually belongs to the parents. Instead of the parents teaching their own children, the responsibility of education fell to a person totally disconnected from the home. Over the years, the public school system progressed by adding new subjects, new programs, and more educators. With those developments, the emphasis on family and the amount of time available for family diminished. The death blow was dealt in 1963 with the ruling on the case of the Abington School District v. Schempp. It was in that case that the public reading of Scripture by teachers was banned. The result was a turning away from Godly life principles and the basis from which to teach moral absolutes; its effects are still being felt today.
Today, parents are not generally concerned about training or preparing their children for the arena of life. For many parents public school is just “free” daycare and the after school activities are little more than an extension of the same. That gives the parents more of an opportunity to advance their own careers or even their own hobbies. The remaining time that the family has together is often filled with movies or video games so that the parents are able to simply get the kids out of their hair. Even the church has embraced this idea of separation by having a Sunday school class for every age while frowning upon the idea of family worship. So often this is done to keep everyone happy and appeal to the entertainment philosophy that we have embraced. Just like Rome, America has become an entirely entertainment driven society that is beginning to reap what it has sown.
Though there certainly are differences, the similarities are striking. First, just as Rome moved away from family and toward what seemed to be national advancement, America began to move away from parental education to advance what seemed to be the good cause of secular education. In both cases, education suffered in order to embrace ideas that were seemingly good. The problem in both instances, however, was the fact that neither move was Biblical. The second, and most obvious, parallel is that as both societies moved away from a family emphasis, they became enthralled with entertainment and personal gratification. The whole issue boils down to the fact that having a family and doing it properly takes a great deal of work. When we desire our own personal gratification over that work, our families will suffer and eventually our society will suffer.
May the example of Rome be a constant reminder of the importance of family. Proverbs 22:6 is probably the best summation of the parental responsibility as it commands parents to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” That verse makes no mention of personal comfort. It is not about the parent, it is about the training of the child. This is most certainly not to say that it is not a joyful experience but simply that the focus must not be on self. When the focus is on self, the family suffers and ultimately the society will suffer.
