The foundation upon which the United States of America was built consisted of two religions: a secular religion that was based on the beliefs and principles of individualism, self-reliance, freedom, hard work, patriotism, and independence, and a biblical religion that was based on the beliefs and principles of the 10 Commandments, the God of the Old Testament, and the teachings of the Son of God.

The two religions of America — secular and biblical — were proudly practiced by most Americans for more than 150 years.

To give you a quick example of how the principles of these religions were engraved into the hearts and minds of young American boys and girls, think of the song, My Country Tis of Thee. I’m 62 years old and I can sing the first verse of that song from memory. When I sing the song, tears come to my eyes because I feel the loss of something that all Americans once cherished. If you’re my age or older, you would probably experience the same emotions that I experience if you were to sing the song. Sing along with me.

My country, ’tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From ev’ry mountainside,
Let freedom ring!

Can you feel it? Does it give you the same sense of pride that it gives me? You can’t help it. It’s like a song from Heaven that lights up your brain with joy for what our country once had, and sorrow for what we lost. Here’s the last verse of the song:

Our fathers’ God to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright, With freedom’s holy light, Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King!

I want you to think about something.

The lyrics of the song include a combination of the secular and biblical religions that America was built upon. The song highlights freedom, independence, and patriotism, and ends with a prayer that asks our King, God Almighty, to protect us from harm.

This is just one minor example of what the children of my generation and previous generations were taught in American schools. Now our children are taught about the god of nature that is going to severely punish everyone on Earth for the “sin” of climate change.

Unfortunately, over the past 60 years, the secular and biblical religions of America have been in decline. Many of today’s younger Americans have been conditioned to allow their government to micro-manage their lives, in exchange for the illusion of security. The principles of guaranteed security, dependence, entitlement, and hatred of our country replaced the formerly taught principles of individualism, self-reliance, freedom, hard work, patriotism, and independence.

What has happened to our American biblical religion? It has been replaced with the belief that every person is his or her own god. Americans are now conditioned to believe the same temptation that the serpent used to seduce Eve: “You will become like Gods.” Once they become their own gods, they pick and choose what gender they want to be, and they are free to engage in any sin that is pleasing to them, including the sins of contraception, premarital sex, divorce, abortion, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, envy, avarice, covetousness, anger, gluttony, and sloth.

The decline in belief in God has also led to a significant decline of virtuous behavior and the practice of Christian values and principles.

The abandonment of the traditional secular and biblical religions that our country was built upon has resulted in widespread divorce, out-of-wedlock births, the deaths of tens of millions of unborn babies, and the destruction of the nuclear family. The security of the two-parent family has been replaced with the illusion of security that the government will always be there to provide us with a multitude of “entitlements and benefits.”

I’ve lived through two previous recessions. The first one was in 1982, when I graduated from law school. At that time, our country was in the middle of a severe recession. When I couldn’t find a job in Peoria, I read the book, How To Open Up Your Own Law Practice Without Missing A Meal. I did what the book instructed and rented an office from another attorney, and then I got busy drumming up business by establishing relationships with successful local attorneys who had more business than they could handle.

The second one was in 2008, when our country went through another big recession. At that time, I was forced to shift my entire law practice from one area of law to another area of law. While it caused me a considerable amount of personal and financial trauma, I eventually got through it.

I fear that we are on the brink of an economic recession that will be much worse than what we went through during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in 2008. The draconian actions that our state and federal governments have taken in response to the COVID-19 hysteria has caused severe damage to our economy.

In the history of our country, the government has never ordered its citizens to close their businesses and go home until further notice. Such an edict would have been a significant violation of the original two religions of America. Back then, Americans trusted that God would guide them and provide for them, and they were given the leeway to exercise the freedom to make their own decisions and to figure out what was best for themselves and their families.

Today, we allow our government officials to treat us as though we are ignorant morons who are incapable of determining what is best for ourselves and our families. Despite the fact that these same officials assure us that they will take care of us, we know better. The illusion of security they created for us has been shattered. They may not realize it yet, but we are on to their lies.

Two months ago, our economy was like a freight train that was firing on all pistons and barreling down the tracks at a high rate of speed. Because of the shutdown, that train was derailed and crashed head-on into a canyon. Even if the shutdown ended today, it would take months to get the train rebuilt and back on the track, traveling at half the speed it was traveling before the shutdown.

You may not completely agree with me, but what if I’m half right?

It is my strong recommendation that you immediately begin preparing to fend for yourself and your family, without any expectation that you will receive assistance from the government. I have a few suggestions for you based on what I learned from my previous experience in navigating through two economic recessions.

■   You can’t take anything for granted. You have to be brutally honest and realistic with yourself and the people around you. You must rely first on God, and then on yourself. You cannot rely on the government for anything. You must accurately assess everything that is occurring around you and react accordingly. This applies to your personal life and your work. You may end up hurting the feelings of others by being honest and realistic, but pandering to feelings frequently gets in the way of doing the right things at the right time.

■   Get out of debt as soon as possible. Work as hard and as many hours as you can to get completely out of debt. We have become a nation of individuals who have become dependent on borrowed money. Borrowed money is dangerous because it gives us an illusion of wealth and security. When we rely on debt for our purchases and lifestyle, we end up with a chain around our neck that eventually chokes off and kills the financial security that we crave. What I’m recommending here may take years for most people to accomplish, but with a lot of personal sacrifice, it can be done. If necessary, you or another member of your family may have to get a second job to accomplish this goal.

■   Set aside enough cash and food to survive on for at least six months. Before the invention of electricity and furnaces, everyone set aside enough cash, supplies, and food to survive the winter. A six-month supply of cash and food will seem impossible to most people, but over time, it can be done. The first step is to set aside enough to support and feed your family for a week. Then work up to two weeks, then three weeks, and so forth.

■   Remember who you are and where you came from. You are a child of God who was created in His image and likeness. It is only through Him that you will ever get close to experiencing true peace and security. I say “close to” because it is only in Heaven that you will ever have true peace and security. To get as close as possible to true peace and security on Earth, you must be willing to work daily at improving and enhancing your relationship with God through more prayer, spiritual reading, and the performance of works of mercy toward others.

This is just for starters. I have more suggestions, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. You have enough to work on for now.

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