Is the End Nigh?

The youth of the Church are often told they have it much more difficult than previous generations. President Hinckley said: “Our times are fraught with peril. We hear frequently quoted the words of Paul to Timothy: 'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come' (2 Tim 3:1). He then goes on to describe the conditions that will prevail. I think it is plainly evident that these latter days are indeed perilous times that fit the conditions that Paul described (see 2 Tim 3:2-7)” – General Conference April 2004 As a mother of two (soon to be three) this is worrying for me, because if this is the case, then my 4 and 1 year old have a bad (and worsening) world to look forward to. But is it really the case? Are there really more social challenges today than in the past? And if so, what is it about our day that is substantially worse? Three areas are often suggested as potential stumbling blocks for the youth today – drugs, alcohol and sexual immorality. Drugs: Recreational drugs are not new. The use of cannabis goes back to the 5th century BC (the Scythians). Nicotine has been used in Asia and in the Americas for centuries. Charles Whitebread, a professor of Law at USC Law School has commented on drug use at the turn of the 20th century: “In 1900 there were far more people addicted to drugs [particularly morphine] in this country (USA) than there are today… there were between two and five percent of the entire adult population of the United States addicted to drugs in 1900.” Alcohol: Beer and wine are as old as human civilization. Egyptian texts refer to the social problems associated with public drunkenness. The Babylonians had laws regulating drinking houses. 1930s Prohibition reminds us that social concern over alcohol is not new. Sexual Immorality: Prostitution is, as the saying goes, "the oldest profession in the world". So-called sacred prostitution was supposedly practiced by the Sumerians (about 2000 B.C.). In Ancient Greece same-sex relationships were a societal norm, valued for their pedagogic benefits and as a means of population control. It is known that the sex lives of historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Plato, and Leonard da Vinci, included or were centred upon relationships with people of their own gender. Pornography has a long history too. Nude pictures constitute the world’s first art and anyone who has seen Victorian pornography will know that it was particularly salacious. In short, people have been experiencing sex out of marriage for as long as people have been experiencing sex. So we see that the same old problems and temptations have been around for centuries. President Hinckley in the same talk said: “Perilous times? Yes. These are perilous times. But the human race has lived in peril from the time before the earth was created.” So my question is whether there is something unique or different about the 21st century that makes it particularly perilous for our children? Is mankind more prone to sin today, or do times never really change? Is evil more accessible today? Is the end nigh? How worried should I be?