These are the good new days

While some people look back at the “good ol’ days,” I find myself looking forward to the days to come.

This week we welcome 2008 with hope and anticipation. Hope that some of our troops may come home from Iraq this year and the anticipation of LSU’s victory over Ohio State in the BCS national championship game next week.

However, not everyone is looking to the new year with enthusiasm. They point to the high divorce rate in America, the elimination of God from government buildings and the tolerance for homosexual lifestyles as a few examples of why the future looks bleak. But, these examples are part of a one-dimensional view of the past.

In the past, women in unhappy marriages or married to abusive husbands could not seek divorce without being ostracized by their peers and family. Failed marriages were often blamed on the wife, and as a result, many women thought killing themselves – or their husbands – was the only way out. The situation was different for many men. Rather than seek divorce, some men in unhappy marriages would have affairs. The divorce rate was lower. But, was the morality better or worse in the past?

As for the effort to eliminate religion from government buildings, the debate is proving beneficial to the religious cause. How many times have we passed a religious statue without thinking twice? Not any more. It is said we would take our freedom for granted if we didn’t have to fight for it, and the same can be said for religion. Let the debating continue – for God’s sake.

Our future does include a tolerance for homosexuality that was not present in the past. But, tolerance doesn’t mean approval, and most people will never approve of the homosexual lifestyle, or more importantly, homosexual marriage. We are tolerant because the opposite would be persecution – something better left in the past.

There are many other examples of improvements needed in the future, but in general, we are better off today than we were years ago. Lets stop kidding ourselves about the “good ol’ days” so we can all look forward to the “good new days.”

The entire staff of the Tri-Parish Times and the Gumbo Entertainment Guide wishes you and your family a Happy New Year.