It is truly the oldest story in the book. When Eve was tempted by the Serpent, she was basically making a deal: I will give up obedience to God’s laws in return for knowledge of good and evil. In other words, control.

Of course, what she got in return was a lie and death. This pattern of making a deal with the devil to gain divine-like control over one’s life has continued unabated through history.

The ancient Canaanites sacrificed children to Molech in order to gain better harvests, strength in battle, etc. Their punishment was destruction by the Israelites.

The Carthaginians, once the mightiest power in the ancient world, also sacrificed their children for worldly gain and power. Their god was Baal (the name of the famous general Hannibal means “lover of Baal”). Alas, they too met their end and were wiped off the map by the Romans.

Then there is Rome. Rome also worshipped pagan gods, but unlike many other ancient cults, did not sacrifice children to their gods. Their paganism was a religion of home, hearth, and harvest, and Romans were known for their “family values.” It was this basic goodness and decency, along with their penchant for organization and fighting, which enabled the small city-state to control most of the known world.

But Rome, too, lost its way. As it became more and more powerful, it became corrupt. The love of family, which had been Rome’s bedrock institution, began to be replaced by love of pleasure. Adultery, homosexuality, gluttony, and abortion became standard practices. The selfish pursuit of pleasure and worldly happiness eroded the Romans’ ancient customs.

Rome was not built in a day, nor did it die in a day. It was a long process of moral and spiritual decay. Eventually, the Romans lacked sufficient fortitude to defend themselves from the onslaught of invading barbarian hordes.

(An interesting side note: Attila the Hun gave up his intention of sacking Rome at the request of Pope Leo the Great, an act of divine intervention that secular historians today still cannot understand.)

The point is that Rome, like Eve, Canaan, and Carthage before it, was willing to sacrifice true Life for passing pleasures. Although the Romans never resorted to actual human sacrifice, they were perfectly willing to attend gladiator fights or abort babies in order to satisfy their lust for “pleasure” in this life.

Western Culture has since come full circle. The 20th century witnessed the deaths of tens of millions of innocents as the result of ideologies which sought to displace God as the author of life and replace him with man-made notions of utopian, “scientific” societies. Of course, to accomplish this, Communist or fascist regimes had to eliminate those people who got in the way of their designs. No big deal. All for the greater good, right?

Well, I think we learned the lesson of those failed attempts, although there are still plenty of muddle-headed intellectuals and tin-pot dictators (e.g., Hugo Chavez) who pine for the return of international socialism.

But what of America, the only country to stand up against both bloody ideologies? Her power, like the Romans, was derived from her basic foundations of family, faith, and freedom. Obviously, these foundations are weakening.

Abortion, of course, means we are once again willing to sacrifice our children for our own benefit. The assault on the family, whether in the form of out-of-wedlock births, easy divorce, or “same-sex” marriage, further erodes our spiritual and moral foundations.

To many, President Bush’s opposition to embryonic stem cell research seems an esoteric, cruel, anti-scientific attempt to appeal to the fringe wing of his party. What it actually is is a principled stand against the further erosion of life in our culture. It is also a stand against the Faustian bargain of one life for another, the ancient devil’s deal of sacrificing the life of one human being for the supposed well-being of another.

If we glibly, and naively, throw this taboo aside and begin manufacturing human embryos so that they can be destroyed for our collective benefit, we have entered a brave new world indeed. The process of decay will continue, albeit slowly and imperceptibly to most, and our enemies will continue to exploit our weakness and lack of resolve to divide and conquer us. This is exactly what the Islamic terrorists are doing, just like the ragtag bands of barbarians did against mighty Rome.

And let us remember this important fact: adult and umbilical cord stem cells have already saved lives and continue to offer actual, concrete results. If embryonic stem cells were such the panacea supporters and teary-eyed advocates proclaim, private funds would be pouring into research. But they are not, so the supporters are turning to the government to fund their unproven assertions. And politicians, ever willing to spend your tax dollars to make themselves look good, are happy to oblige.

Rome ignored the warning signs. Will we?

Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.

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