A new Gallup poll describes what many of us have been predicting for a
long time - a steady decline in morality in America. 45% of those
surveyed described morality in the U.S. as "poor" and only 15% could
call it "excellent or good." The survey also said that 76% believe
morality is getting worse, while only 14% said it was improving.
CNN's Jack Cafferty reported on the poll and asked the audience, "So what's wrong with us?"
I
don't know what's more sad, reading the actual poll numbers, or hearing
commentators wonder why morality is declining. Predictably, they will
point to a wide variety of issues: failing education systems, breakdowns
in the family, dishonesty in business, and drug and alcohol abuse. Yet,
these feel good, psychology 101 answers all skirt the real issue, the
loss of religion in America.
Since the beginning of Western
thinking, religion and morality were inextricably intertwined. From Plato
to Aquinas, philosophers have wrestled with the relationship between
the two. In a discussion of morality, to ignore religion is to ignore
the verb of a sentence.
Is it mere coincidence that morality has
slipped hand in hand with church attendance? According to a separate
Gallup poll, only 41.6% of Americans reported that they attended church
at least once a week or almost every week in 2009 (around 123 million
Americans). A sad, but telling statistic for where America's morality
lies.
By comparison, movie theater attendance jumped nearly 16% in 2009 according to the NY Times. If
you want to see where America's priorities lie, look at the culture.
Between sports, music, and television, religion has taken a backseat to
entertainment. One can only hope that Americans will reconnect the dots
between morality and religion. For as a scholar once said (and this
quote is usually incorrectly attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville),
"America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be
good, she will cease to be great."
2/16/2016
Problems Ahead
How about a NY Times story that starts like this:
"Across Western Europe, the 'lifestyle superpower,' the assumptions and gains of a lifetime are suddenly in doubt. The deficit crisis that threatens the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War II."
Finally, a breath of fresh air for capitalists and a strong dose of reality for European socialists. For years, Europeans have boasted of their milk and honey welfare programs with early retirements and generous pensions. But with aging populations and rising budget deficits, it looks like their social welfare programs are finally catching up to them economically. While the rest of the financial world holds their breath, Europe is perched precariously on the cliff of economic disaster and might fall if they don't make changes soon.
From Europe to America, this story segues perfectly into a separate piece written by Arthur Brooks about the ongoing tug-of-war between free enterprise and government control in American culture.
"Across Western Europe, the 'lifestyle superpower,' the assumptions and gains of a lifetime are suddenly in doubt. The deficit crisis that threatens the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War II."
Finally, a breath of fresh air for capitalists and a strong dose of reality for European socialists. For years, Europeans have boasted of their milk and honey welfare programs with early retirements and generous pensions. But with aging populations and rising budget deficits, it looks like their social welfare programs are finally catching up to them economically. While the rest of the financial world holds their breath, Europe is perched precariously on the cliff of economic disaster and might fall if they don't make changes soon.
From Europe to America, this story segues perfectly into a separate piece written by Arthur Brooks about the ongoing tug-of-war between free enterprise and government control in American culture.
Enough with the "Hope"
CNN
reported today that we have had more reported terrorist attempts on
American soil last year than in all the years combined from 2002 to
2009. Only weeks after the failed car bombing of New York's Times
Square, the Department of Homeland Security says "the number and pace of
attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months
have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year
period."
This
frightening assessment is contained in an unclassified DHS intelligence
memo prepared for various law enforcement groups, which says terror
groups are expected to try attacks inside the United States with
"increased frequency."
To
put it bluntly: America has become more dangerous and vulnerable over
the past 17 months, rather than safer and stronger. President Obama
capitalized on the anti-Bush rhetoric during the election, but what
evidence does he have to offer that he has improved homeland security so
far.
CNN's
story comes on the heels of Pres. Obama debuting his new national
security strategy based on diplomacy rather than war. To quote the White
House report, "Our
long-term security will not come from our ability to instill fear in
other peoples but through our capacity to speak to their hopes." So
instead of being protector and enforcer, the United States will be the
world's motivational coach. Enough with the "hope." The hope of radical
Islamics is to kill the infidels. The hope of Iran is to destroy Israel.
This is the type of naive, backwards, idealistic policy that thinks we
can keep everyone safe by making everyone happy. It's absurd, and don't
be shocked if the number of terrorist attacks continue to rise in the
United States.
Book Recommendation
Melanie Phillip's new book The World Turned Upside Down is a
provocative, hard-hitting look into the major ideological battlefields
dividing America and the Western World. As a journalist first and
foremost, Phillips accomplishes what few great journalists can - seeing
through the swamp of emotional and sensational news to the cold, hard
facts of the issues. She debunks today's popular myths and
misconceptions with clear, poignant writing and research. Her book is so
well documented it doubles as a handbook for key issues like global
warming, the war on terror, and the secular attacks on Western religion.
The World Turned Upside Down reveals the destructive ideologies
eating away at religion, morality, and truth - the core of American
greatness. Phillips, a British journalist, combats American popular
culture in a way that few writers can, as an outsider looking in, not
someone caught in the day-to-day, tit-for-tat battles Americans engage
in.
At its core, The World Turned Upside Down
recognizes the backwards state of politics and culture in the West due
to the loss of religion and the dependence of man on his own reason.
Modern society tells us that faith and reason are inseparable, but
Phillips proves the opposite. Christianity and the Bible gave us our
foundations for knowledge, progress, and order, she argues. Without that
foundation, the world as we once knew it is eroding in front of our
eyes. Above economic debt, foreign threats, and faulty science, the
abandonment of religion poses the greatest threat to the West, she says,
opening us up for attacks on all sides, from radical Islam to secular
humanism. The World Turned Upside Down is a cautionary tale; if we continue down this spiraling path, the world will truly be standing on its head.
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Back in Action
I can explain. You all probably thought I abandoned this blog after I've
been gone for the past two weeks, but that's not like me. I could just
tell you that I was on vacation, but that's too easy an out. So I'll
explain... I was in the desert shooting guns. No really, here's proof.
I spent about a week with family and friends out in the scorching,
searing desert of Nevada at a training facility called Front Sight. It's
a self-proclaimed bastion of Second Amendment enforcement in the United
States. Their goal is to provide the highest level of arms training to
citizens, law enforcement, and soldiers while at the same time raising
the level of gun education and awareness among users. They have
identified a serious problem in the United States - the lack of gun
education among users. We all like to wave our Second Amendment right
around in the face of the world, but the reality is that we have
neglected the responsibility that comes with that right. People do a lot
of stupid things with guns in their hands. Sure, the media can be
gun-phobic and blow the problem out of proportion, but what other choice
do we give them when gun users are continually injuring themselves or
innocent people by simple user error.
Front
Sight's commitment to preserving the Second Amendment through training
responsible, educated gun users was impressive to say the least. When I
arrived I had no idea how to hold, load, or shoot a Glock 9mm, but after
several days I was clearing jams, drawing from a holster, and shooting
accurately from distance. Their training is nothing short of phenomenal,
better than the military and police force I must say, just by hearing
all the personal stories from cops and soldiers who frothed over the
level of training they received at Front Sight. Check them out at
FrontSight.com.
Oh, and the other reason I
disappeared: Las Vegas. By coincidence, sheer luck you might even say,
it was only 45 minutes away. Okay, maybe we planned it that way.
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