What do Christians Mean by "Restoe our Nation?"

[Jenny A]

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I heard a Christian man prying over lunch. I didn’t hear everything he said,     but he started asking god about stuff that had little to do with food.  I made out something about “Lord help them restore this great nation.” I missed who “them” is.

It struck me as odd because it sounds like the same thing the tea baggers say when they talk about taking the nation back. Take it back from where? Restore it from what to wheat?

I know they’re not talking about police brutality, fascism, political corruption, poverty, social inequality or capital graft. They never had a problem with these things before.

So what are they talking about?[/hid]

Oh, gee, I dunno...maybe they want to see our nation restored to when...

...drugs were something prescribed by a doctor. 

There were prescription drugs in the 1700s?  Really?  You went to the apothecary and ordered anything you wanted.  In the 1800 and early 1900 laudanum was choice and there were many addicts.  Alcohol has always been with us.  And then there were opium dens.  In the 40s and 50s it was Valium.  Just when was this drug free paradise?

...Coke was a soft drink that started in Atlanta and conquered the world.

Coke contained cocaine. http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp  And even today Coke is hardly a health drink.

...kids might sneak a drink of alcohol but not enough that their parents would notice. 

And when exactly was that?  Read a few novels from other time periods and you'll realize that that time period never existed.

...couples waited until they were married before they had sex. 

 Again.  When was this?  Illegitimate births have always been with us as well as shot gun marriages.  That necessarily means sex before marriage.  What's new is acceptance of sex before marriage.  I'm fine with that.

...couples got married before living together.

And lived unhappily afterwords and divorced in droves in the late 70s and 80s.

...cars had fins and the AM radio was its most important part. 

*giggle*  I think I can do without the fins or the AM thanks.

...you could gas up dad's car for a date at the hop for only a couple of dollars.

 We call it inflation.  Moral change won't fix it.

...gas stations washed your windshield and checked your fluids for just a couple of pennies more.

 So labor was cheap.  This was a good thing?

...becoming an Eagle Scout was something that got your name in the paper.

 This is not a governmental issue.  Take it up with the scouts, who are by-the-way, a British import.

...making straight A's was something to be proud of instead of something to hide to avoid being ostracized.

Hadn't noticed this trend.  In fact, the 50's words "grind" and "egghead" have practically vanished, the earlier word "blue stocking" is gone completely, and the 1990s words "nerd" and "geek" are in.  A much larger percentage of students go on to college and graduate degrees than ever before. Perhaps intelligence and educations is valued more rather than less?  In fact, monetarily it is.  Labor is much cheaper than intellect of late. Wasn't so much the case pre 1970.

...everyone who had a gun used it for hunting and not for protection.

You got me there.  Though again, we're only going back as far as the 50's and then only in the suburbs.  Ever heard of claim jumping?  Wild wild West?  

...you didn't know anyone whose parents were divorced. 

Yep.  But after the mass of divorces in the 70s and 80s, divorce is on the down swing.  I caulk it up to premarital sex and living together first. And while I knew many kids with divorced parents, the one I felt sorry for were the ones whose parents were fighting.

...you didn't mind being home by dark because all your friends had a curfew, too. 

All the kids I know have a curfew, where are you living?

...you knew all your neighbors and offered to get the mail and the paper for them when they went on vacation. 

And you think the government should solve this.  It's a product of suburbia.

...fishing with Grandpa meant hearing about "the Big One", but you didn't hear about HIS medals until after he died because he never mentioned them. 

Seems about right.  My grampa was like that, except you didn't hear about the fish either.  Frankly, the people who want to restore the nation are the ones who seem to want to talk about medals.

...a covered dish supper at the church was something everyone looked forward to. 

Because they could afford little other entertainment.  Sorry, but really no thanks.

...you could listen to the hottest new music on your radio with your grandmother in the car and not get embarrassed by the lyrics. 

Grandmothers are growing up.

...you could actually understand all the words of all the songs. 

You are on a campaign to destroy rock and roll?  Rap you apparently can understand more of than you want to.

...the best bands all had "and his orchestra" in their name. 

I like swing.  It isn't the only good music in the world. And it didn't make our country great.

...someone could talk about "Our Gang" and they meant Alfalfa, Spanky and Buckwheat and not the Bloods or the Crips.

 The Bloods and Crips?  I thought you wanted the 1950s back.  That's 1950s and early 60s.  Those gangs are gone.  We have other gangs.  Before either we had the mafia. The mafia was enabled by prohibition here.  The drug gangs are enabled by the war on drugs.  Be careful what you ask for.

...there wasn't anything nostalgic about a Norman Rockwell painting because your hometown and everyone you knew looked just like that. 

Rockwell thought otherwise.  He knew he was painting an idealized world.  How come you don't?

...you knew what your friends were watching on TV because everyone home was watching the same show. 

All yes TV that great blessing to nation intercourse.

...the Tonight Show had guests like Frank, Dean, and Sammy and you didn't need to wonder what their last names were.

And Sammy sharing the stage with Frank and Dean was controversial.  Hint, there was that thing called racism.  Oh, and why does it matter whether we know our celebrities by their first or last names?

...you knew the answer to the question, "Hey kids, what time is it?"

Um?  Where did this come from?  I'm not even sure I know what you mean.