Oh for the good old "dark ages"

In a letter to the local paper I wrote that the most uncivilised thing one human being can do to another is to use force upon them.

A Mr Salt replied to me asking to explain the fact that in the "good old days" when they had the death penalty, and more people believed in god and the church, that you didn't need to lock your doors and windows at night, and a murder in the country was a very rare thing as opposed to today.

He blames these things upon there being no death penalty and there being less people believing in god and the church.

Here is my reply to him.

Just because they used "force" in the good old days doesn't make it
right! Mr Salt seeks to deny the FACT that the most uncivilised thing
one human being can do to another is use force upon him/them. I believe
it is Mr Salt that has some explaining to do! Much of what he says is
true, however, he negates the FACTS by trying to justify the state
"murdering people! Is this not a tad hypocritical when one of the ten
commandments, quite clearly states “thou shalt not kill!"

The soil of the earth is sodden with the blood of soldiers of one
religion or another, and he calls that civilised society! The New
Zealand of the good old days is dead and gone, not due to lack of
religious practices, but by the interference of government in the lives
of its citizens, by taking away personal responsibility, and replacing
it with the welfare state it has incrementally destroyed family,
extended family, and respect for others, and destroyed community spirit
completely - we don't have to care for our fellow man anymore - the
state does it for us!

The welfare state, just like communism, was an
idea, based upon trying to help those less fortunate, but human nature
being what it is, has seen these ideas backfire, leaving the ugly,
uncaring society we have today. We have had almost a century of the
welfare state now - how much worse do things have to get before people
realise its time for a change – Hell, even the communists realise what
a crap idea it was now!

There used to be a time when everybody believed in God, and feared the
church - that time was known as "the dark ages!"