As if society’s first three rotten apples of Marxist communism, Darwinian evolution and Freudian psychology weren’t enough (read Part 1: Bad Philosophy and Corrupt Theories), here are two more bad apples that have corrupted the hearts and minds of modern youth.

Society’s rotten apple #4: the sexual revolution by way of “the pill”

The birth control pill, invented in the United States in the 1950s, was approved for contraceptive use in the country in 1960. Before “the pill,” most women were afraid of having sex before marriage. After its availability, it became a cheap and convenient way to avoid pregnancy. And it helped launch the sexual revolution of the 1960s in much of the world.

In the wake of that immoral revolution, and in spite of the birth control pill, there are more unwanted pregnancies than ever before.

A recent news story titled “Out-of-Wedlock Births Society’s ‘New Normal’” pointed out some startling findings: “More children are now being born outside of marriage, according to a new study by the National Marriage Project and the Institute for American Values. The report focuses on what it calls ‘middle-America,’ the nearly 60 percent of Americans who complete high school but not college. Among that group, 44 percent of children are now born outside of marriage. That’s up from 13 percent in the 1980s. ‘America is at a tipping point, with unwed childbearing threatening to become a new norm,’ study co-author Brad Wilcox said. Research shows children born or raised outside of marriage are more likely to suffer from a range of social and emotional problems” (CBN News, Dec. 18, 2012).

This is not to say that contraception is wrong, as perhaps practiced by married couples in trying to determine when they have children. The problem lies in using a method of avoiding consequences as license to commit sexual immorality. We see the same problem with the promotion of other methods of contraception and protection from sexually transmissible diseases today.

The fact is, immorality eventually catches up with individuals and societies that condone and indulge in it.

Society’s rotten apple #5: the banning of school prayer

In 1961 the U.S. Supreme Court made the decision to ban prayer from American public schools. This idea has also spread around most of the world.

Randall Price, an archaeologist and religious writer, recently commented in his newsletter about the impact of this watershed decision and the 1973 decision to legalize abortion:

“These decisions affected our society’s moral consciousness . . . by making humanism the only religion sanctioned in the public education system and demeaning the value of human life. Over the years since these anti-values became a part of our national values, we have witnessed degeneration in our society, especially with our youth who never knew other values once were accepted and practiced under the law in our nation. We have also witnessed the government and the private sector increasing[ly] apply these anti-values in ways and to an extent that may never have been envisioned by the justices that rendered their original decisions (such as prayer and the mention of God at commencements and sports events and expressions of public faith . . .).

“However, while expressions of Christian values are prohibited or denounced, these anti-values are marketed wholesale through the entertainment industry (movies, TV, and video games) that saturates our culture with trivial violence and death, creating the illusion that wanton murder is just a game and the hero is the one with the ‘baddest’ weapons! This was one of the traits of the young man who murdered the teachers and children in Connecticut” (“What’s Wrong With Our Country?” World of the Bible News & Views, Winter 2012, p. 21).

As it often has after terrible tragedies like the school killings in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, the following fictional letter exchange between a student and God made the internet rounds. It begins with a question: “Dear God, Why do you allow so much violence in our schools? Signed, a concerned student.” And this is the reply: “Dear Concerned Student, I’m not allowed in schools. —God."

Former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee stated it well when he said: “We ask why there is violence in our schools but we’ve systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?” (interview on Fox News, Dec. 14, 2012).

Indeed, the expulsion of God from schools was followed by an accelerated rise in all manner of societal ills.

Sorting out the rotten apples

It’s important to realize that these five “rotten apples” have affected society in a profound way—their toxic corruption permeating it throughout.

The Bible describes the last generation before Jesus Christ returns to earth, and it’s not a pleasant picture. It should be obvious that these “rotten apples” have much to do with this.

Notice the apostle Paul’s prophecy of what things would be like: “You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy, and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good. They will be traitors. They will be reckless and conceited. They will love pleasure rather than God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4, God’s Word Translation).

Doesn’t this define the world we live in today? Read the news or watch TV. The lack of moral and spiritual values is glaring.

So what can we do about it? The answer is: We can’t change society, but we can change ourselves—and even more so with God’s help.

Paul said it well in another passage: “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him . . . Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect” (Romans 12:1-2, Good News Bible).

Throw out the rotten apples. Learn the truth about the incredible future God has planned for you by reading our free booklet What Is Your Destiny?From your heart and mind follow God’s ways—the true values—and reject the “anti-values” of this present, evil world.