Pleasure Put in God’s Place​—Why?

“YOU are not alone,” says an advertisement in big, bold letters. “This Sunday, 61 million other adult Americans also chose not to go to church.” The ad itself is an attempt to get some of these millions, representing 41 percent of all Americans 18 or older, to go to church.

Elsewhere, notably in Western Europe, the picture is similar, except that the percentage is much higher. For example, on any given Sunday in Britain, about 98 percent of the 28 million members of the Church of England do not bother going to church. In spite of some gains here and there, the downward trend is evident worldwide.

Why They Turn Away

What is causing masses of people to turn away from the churches? Obviously, this is a very complex question. Atheism, materialism, failure of the churches to satisfy and many other factors have contributed to it. But did all those who turned away do so because they have abandoned their belief in God and thus have no more use for religion? Evidently not.

In their book The Search for America’s Faith, coauthors George Gallup, Jr., and David Poling expressed surprise at finding that “the unchurched are overwhelmingly believers; and it is not loss of faith, in most cases, that has caused people to become unchurched.” So, then, what is keeping them away?

Gallup and Poling noted four key factors tugging at the unchurched:

“1. Sports, recreational activity, and hobbies

2. Social activities with friends

3. A work schedule that makes church attendance difficult

4. The desire for ‘more time for myself and/​or family.’”

Is it not true that most people now think of and look forward to Sunday mainly as a time to relax and to unwind? To many who can afford it, a drive in the country, a picnic or an outing is infinitely more refreshing than church services. Jogging, skiing, golfing, fishing or any one of a number of other sports is far more invigorating than the humdrum sermon. And, usually, such activities are pursued with a dedication and zeal that could put the average churchgoer to shame.

What is the result? Obviously, this pleasure-loving outlook has severely eroded support for the churches. But, more seriously for the individuals, it has meant that love of pleasure has replaced love of God. Religion, or what is left of it, has been relegated to a few special occasions in life, such as weddings and funerals, when piety is still deemed necessary. Secular diversion has taken the place of spiritual devotion.

This rising tide of secularism among people who profess to believe in God coincides with what the apostle Paul had in mind when he spoke of men becoming “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” And, in speaking of such persons, he was using them as a warning and a feature, signaling the arrival of “the last days” when “critical times hard to deal with” would be here. (2 Timothy 3:1, 2, 4) The fact that multitudes today “put pleasure in the place of God,” as Paul foretold, is one of many evidences that we are living in the last days.​—The New English Bible.

“A Form of Godly Devotion”

IN THE face of dwindling support, the churches are trying desperately to rally or revive their membership. But the tactics they employ often make things worse. They exploit the pleasure-oriented mentality. How so? Consider a few examples of what the churches are doing to lure the unchurched to the pews:

“Today there are 3,000 clown ministry groups in the U.S. who put on big noses and suits of many colors in order to serve God,” reports Time magazine. Troupes calling themselves ‘Fools for Christ’ or ‘Holy Fools’ dance, juggle, mime, ride bicycles in church and pass out popcorn and throw confetti and balloons at the congregation. In Saskatoon, Canada, a convention of the Canadian Association for Pastoral Education included a course in “Christian clowning” as a means of reaching people.

“‘Get Their Attention’​—Evangelist Does It With Karate.” That was the title of a newspaper article describing the “show-sermons” of a traveling Baptist preacher. “People don’t want to come out and hear a preacher preach, and tell them what’s wrong with them,” he explained. “But they’ll come out and see a karate expert.” The preacher said that most people stay for the sermon after watching the show. “Once in a while you’ll get one who leaves,” he added. “But not too often.”

Under the headline “Churches Use Magic To Lure Parishioners,” The Wall Street Journal quotes a pastor in Indiana as saying that “when a magician occupies the pulpit, people who haven’t attended in months show up for the services.” The nondenominational Fellowship of Christian Magicians estimates that there are over a thousand magician-ministers nationwide, and it sponsors seminars each summer to teach new tricks.

“There’s a Peeler in the Pulpit” is how one newspaper reported on what went on in a Dallas Unitarian church. The church featured an “exotic dancer” in its Sunday services, and “when she was through there was nothing left but her G-string and the congregation’s imagination,” said the report. Children along with the church’s 200 adult members attend the performances. “I haven’t had one complaint,” the minister said. “It fit very well into our service.”

These are by no means isolated incidents in some strange sects or cults. The so-called respectable, established churches are resorting to the same gimmicks. In addition to clowns and magicians, they employ the services of folksingers, rock groups, belly dancers, astronauts, movie stars and other celebrities, in an effort to bolster their waning appeal.

But even if some “lost souls” are thus attracted to the church, are they really being helped to become “lovers of God” if what interests them is an “exotic” dance or a magic show? To the contrary, are they not thus being made into “lovers of pleasures” all the more, and with a silenced conscience because they now can indulge themselves with the approval of the church? Truly, they have become persons “having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power.”​—2 Timothy 3:5.

Prophecy Fulfilled

All of this prompted clergyman William Rauscher to say: “Today too many churches have become Holy Ghost entertainment centers which are more spooky than holy. Much that now masquerades as religion would shock St. Paul.” Actually, though, the apostle Paul would hardly be shocked. And why not? Because, as we have seen, he was inspired to write that in the last days people would “put pleasure in the place of God”!

By the expression “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God” (New World Translation), the apostle Paul calls attention to the contradiction and inconsistency, and thus the hypocrisy, of such people. Though they still want some religion in their lives, they have put pleasure in place of God as the object of their love and devotion. In so doing, they have made pleasure their god.

The rise of secularism and the dwindling of support for the churches are further clear evidences that we are living in the last days of the present system of things. But, more than that, these things indicate that we are living at the very end, the closing phase, of the last days.

A Pleasure-Loving World About to End!

HISTORY is replete with examples of mighty kingdoms and empires being brought to their end by moral decay, loose living and inordinate love of pleasure. Even within a single nation, dynasties or regimes have toppled when love of pleasure eroded their moral fiber.

For example, in the book Outlines of Roman History, William Morey wrote: “If we were asked what were the symptoms of [Rome’s] moral decay, we should answer: the selfishness of classes; the accumulation of wealth, . . . the love of gold and the passion for luxury . . . These were moral diseases, which could hardly be cured by any government.”

Today, do we not see people becoming wrapped up in a secular, pleasure-oriented way of life? Are we not living in a pleasure-loving world? Yes, indeed, for although many still want some religion, social and recreational activities have taken the first place. People have become like those in Noah’s day​—preoccupied with such things as “eating and drinking.” They are too busy fulfilling their desires to give heed to their spiritual needs. Indeed, interest in and support for religion are at a low ebb.​—Matthew 24:37-39.

This love of pleasure and the accompanying decline in support for religion take on special meaning when we consider the way another ancient empire, Babylonia, came to its end. In fact, the unusual details of that fall, like other historical accounts, were recorded in the Bible for a specific reason: “They were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have arrived.”​—1 Corinthians 10:11.

An Ancient Lesson

The river Euphrates played an important role in the livelihood of the great city of Babylon. In his book History of Cyrus the Great (1878), Jacob Abbott wrote: “[Babylon] was the capital of a large and very fertile region, which extended on both sides of the Euphrates toward the Persian Gulf. . . . The River Euphrates was the great source of fertility for the whole region through which it flowed.” Yes, Babylon’s prosperity stemmed from the Euphrates River. It is, therefore, all the more significant that the city’s fall should also be linked to that river.

Abbott gave this interesting account of King Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon:

“Cyrus advanced to the city. He stationed one large detachment of his troops at the opening in the main walls where the river entered into the city, and another one below, where it issued from it. These detachments were ordered to march into the city by the bed of the river as soon as they should observe the water subsiding. He then employed a vast force of laborers to open new channels, and to widen and deepen those which had existed before, for the purpose of drawing off the waters from their usual bed. When these passages were thus prepared, the water was let into them one night, at a time previously designated, and it soon ceased to flow through the city. The detachments of soldiers marched in over the bed of the stream.”

From the moment that the waters of the Euphrates began to subside, Babylon was doomed! And let it be noted that the city fell on a night of pleasure-filled feasting.​—Compare Daniel, chapter 5.

History About to Repeat Itself

What happened to ancient Babylon at the hands of Cyrus the Great is not of mere historical interest. Using it as a type, the Bible book of Revelation speaks of a harlot named “Babylon the Great” sitting on “many waters.” And it is foretold that at God’s command an angel “poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun.”​—Revelation 17:1, 5; 16:12.

Who or what is “Babylon the Great”? What is pictured by the “many waters” of the “great river Euphrates”? And what is meant by its water ‘drying up’?

Though ancient Babylon is no longer in existence as a political power, its religious influence has extended through the centuries to every corner of the earth. Thus, “Babylon the Great” is the world empire of false religion, including all the churches of Christendom. Revelation 17:15 indicates that the “many waters” this religious harlot sits on are the “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues” upon whom she depends for support, much as ancient Babylon depended on the waters of the Euphrates for its prosperity. So the drying up of the waters means the dwindling of the people’s support for religion.a

“The End” Is Near!

In this context, we realize that the rise of secularism all around the world and the decline in interest and support for religion are of prophetic significance in two ways. First, these developments are in fulfillment of the apostle Paul’s prediction that in “the last days” men would become “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” This is part of the evidence proving that we are living in “the last days” or “the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matthew 24:3) Secondly, just as ancient Babylon fell on the very night that the waters of the Euphrates receded, the rise of secularism and the dwindling of support for religion are clear indications that destruction is imminent for “Babylon the Great.”

These prophecies undergoing fulfillment show clearly that we are living in “the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:4) Yes, we are nearing the final phase of the last days, the climax of which is the destruction of Satan’s entire wicked system of things. Indeed, this pleasure-loving world is about to end. But in this we can take heart, for it will pave the way for the righteous New Order of God’s promise. (2 Peter 3:13) You can share in its grand blessings if you do not put pleasure in place of God but, rather, put him first in your life during these last days.

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