America’s Penalty for Moral Depravity

I think most people would agree that Americans have become so “non-judgmental” that many people can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.  Many think we are more sensitive and less prejudiced than past generations of Americans.  But as John Hawkins of Right Wing News and Linkiest recently wrote, “we don’t stop to consider how much more there is to morality than that.  An America that isn’t full of good people won’t remain a good nation, nor will it remain strong and free over the long haul. Our country’s lack of morality has real consequences that are capable of eventually sinking us as a nation.”

Hawkins, writing for Townhall.com, says there are five consequences of America’s Moral Collapse:

1) The Collapse of Marriage

There used to be quite a bit of social stigma attached to getting a divorce or having a child out of wedlock.  That’s no longer true and consequences for society have been horrific.  Although there is some dispute about the numbers, roughly 40% of marriages now end in divorce and half of all children born to women under 30 in America now are illegitimate.  Three in 10 white children are born out of wedlock, as are 53% of Hispanic babies and 73% of black babies.  Why is this important? … because children raised without a mother AND a father are statistically worse off in just about every area imaginable.  Various studies have come up with slightly different numbers, but all the figures are grim.  According to the Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, children from single-parent families account for 63% of all youth suicides; 70% of all teenage pregnancies; 71% of all adolescent chemical/substance abuse; 80% of all prison inmates; and 90% of all homeless and runaway children.  Instead of trying to reverse the crippling damage being done to our country by the collapse of Biblically established marriage, we’ve chosen to degrade it even further by allowing same sex unions … soon to be followed by polygamous unions that will degrade the institution ever further.  If it’s true that marriage is the bedrock of society, then our nation’s house is built on sand.

2) Crime

Despite the fact that China and India have populations four times our size, it’s stunning that America has the largest prison population on Earth.  Not coincidentally, America’s once sky-high crime rate dropped as massive numbers of criminals were locked away.  Bizarrely, many people talk about crime as if it’s divorced from morality.  We hear about a supposed “rape culture,” school shootings, the “Knockout Game,” child abuse, etc., etc., etc. without making the obvious connection to morals.  Good kids aren’t raping anybody, assaulting strangers to prove they’re tough or shooting up movie theaters (unless they’re mentally ill).  Kids who are taught about good and evil, right and wrong, patriotism, chivalry and honor are going to make mistakes.  A few of them will even turn out to be bad apples.  However, full though our prisons may be, they are not full of God-fearing men.  They’re full of people who are morally adrift.

3) Poor Government

America seems to be becoming progressively less governable and there are many reasons for that.  Government has become too big to effectively manage; both parties have moved away from the center; gerrymandering has decreased the power of voters and increased the power of special interest groups; and we could go on and on.  Despite the fact that it’s seldom discussed, one of the biggest factors is the dishonesty of our own politicians.  How does that play a role?  Well, it’s impossible to cut any kind of meaningful long-term deal on taxes, spending, immigration or any other big issue … because neither party can be trusted to stick to a deal. Politicians lie to the voters, they lie to the other party and they even lie to their colleagues on the same side of the aisle.  It’s extraordinarily difficult to govern a nation without long term planning.  How do you plan for the future when no politician’s word means anything?

4) Dependence

Americans have traditionally been some of the most self-reliant people on the face of the earth.  People used to be ashamed to be ‘on the dole’ … even if they felt like they had no other choice.  Judging by the numbers we see today, that’s no longer true.  More than 1/3 of the population, 109-million Americans, are on welfare.  That’s more people than there are in the four most populous states in America (California, Texas, New York and Florida) COMBINED.  More than 45-million Americans are receiving food stamps. Nearly 11-million Americans, a number larger than the population of Greece, are on disability.  Does anyone care how many of these people are legitimately having hard times and need a little temporary assistance to get back on their feet versus how many are parasites who are looting the system?  It certainly doesn’t seem like it.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of people who even feel bad about being on the dole either.  In fact, it’s probably more of a social gaffe to suggest that people should feel bad about living off other people’s labor than it is to sponge off the taxpayers without regret.  That’s why it’s not just an economic problem – It’s a moral problem … and it’s one that is likely to get larger as a smaller and smaller share of workers are asked to shoulder the load for people who don’t work for a living.

5) Lack of Civility and Manners

Founding Father, Samuel Adams, once said, “A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.  While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.”  Between the anonymity of the Internet, the crudity of much of modern music and TV … along with our bad habit of rewarding every reality show star and jackass with 15-minutes of fame – as long as they’re willing to go to any lengths to catch our attention … we’ve become a crass, rude and obnoxious culture.  We live in a country that often rewards sarcasm instead of wisdom; rudeness instead of insight; and the squeaky wheel instead of the farsighted patriot.  You’re more likely to get your way in America if you claim to be angry, offended or can just make enough noise on social media than if you’re plain old right.  How well is that working out for our country?

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel