What has restrained moral decay in Western civilization?
Christianity has been the restraint on the falling away of moral principles across the Western world. Believers have stood in the gap, declaring wrong as wrong, and the Holy Spirit's present work has held back iniquity. Remove Christianity, believers, and the Spirit's role, and nothing remains to restrain moral decay.
Les explains that religion puts common sense into regulating human behavior, but most pagan religions are grossly immoral even in their religious practice, so the Orient has long accepted prostitution and gross immorality without shock. America is shocked because it came out of a basic Christian or Judeo-Christian structure. For much of the Western world, Christianity has been the brake on a falling away of moral principles. Christians have had to stand in the gap and say this is wrong. If Christianity, every believer, and the Holy Spirit's role are taken away, nothing is left to hold back iniquity.