Society

I think most of us would agree that America isn’t doing very well and seems to be getting worse every day. People seem more hopeless, pessimistic and discouraged about life and the future than I can ever remember.

An interesting study  on why Americans are losing confidence in the nation -conducted by Mark Penn, CEO of the polling firm Penn Schoen Berland and Associates, author of Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes and White House pollster for Bill Clinton – shows that the majority of Americans believe America is going down hill because of a decline in morals and traditional values.

“America is in many ways unhappy with itself and the pop-culture it has become. More than two thirds (69%) of the Country believe that American values and morals have declined, and they point to political corruption, increased materialism, declining family values, and a celebrity-obsessed culture as the culprits” (Penn, M.).

In addition to these findings a new Gallup poll  revealed some 72 percent of Americans think that this country has lost its moral compass altogether (Wetzstein, C. 2013).

The damaging and ruinous effect of moral decay in society does not reach lethal levels overnight. It takes years of poor choices and decisions, continually ignoring disgraceful and immoral behavior, and dismissing the need to do something about it.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a nineteenth century French philosopher, had this to say about America and her future. “America is great because she is good; if America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

Add to Tocqueville’s prediction the many Book of Mormon prophecies that tell us not only will she cease to be great – she will cease to exist!

So what can we do about the invasive and debilitating disease of immorality that is weakening America – destroying her goodness – and ward off the downfall and destruction that is prophesied?

First and foremost, we must restore God as the Supreme Head of this land – His chosen and Covenant land – by reinstating a national sense of respect and reverence for Him, His laws and commandments.

However, restoring God to His place of honor and Omnipotence in this nation won’t be easy considering this President and his administration’s disregard for religious belief (as evidenced by imposing the Obamacare anti-conscience mandate on religious America) and that America’s spirituality and belief in God are on the decline.

“A new Pew Forum poll shows that 48 percent of Americans say a decline of religion is bad for American society. But do fewer Americans consider themselves faithful these days?

Over the past two decades, the number of Americans who mark their religious preference as “none” has undoubtedly grown. Only 8 percent checked that box in 1990. As of May of this past year, 20 percent of all Americans identified themselves as having no religion” (Grimard, L. 2013).

“By all measures – from basic belief to weekly attendance – religion and religious life are trending down in importance in American life. While Americans have become far more socially tolerant of different lifestyles, they have become far more cynical about… the existence of God” (Penn, M. 2012).

This information gives us important insight as to why immorality has increased in today’s America. Since the trend is to no longer believe in God as our Creator and Judge, people feel no need to try and please Him, or keep His commandments. And where there is no thought for accountability or fear of God, there is no fear of His consequences!

In order for people to live moral lives they must support and sustain a clearly defined standard and sense of right and wrong. However, if God and His laws are being discarded – laws that have been recognized as the standard of right and wrong for thousands of years – then who sets the standard for man’s actions? Nobody! There is no standard! There’s a moral vacuum and anything goes. Which is exactly what we are seeing today.

On the brighter side, according to the Wall Street Journal article “The Myth of Unreligious America” by Rodney Stark – co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University – 80 percent of Americans still believe in God or a universal spirit, and a majority describe themselves as “religious” or “spiritual,” even though they are not openly or actively religious (Stark, R. 2013).

But if we are going to return America to the values that made Her great and strong for well over 200 years, then we need all those – that 80% of Americans – who believe in God, or a higher power, to become proactive. It is no longer enough just to believe and sit quietly on the sidelines. Not in today’s America!

As believers we must speak up in God’s honor and never hesitate to stand as His witness. We must live our lives to reflect what we believe; the values we hold dear. We must be faithful in weekly church attendance – whatever faith and church that is in order to rebuild and strengthen America’s religious base. But most of all we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated or retreat from those whose voices in opposition to God have become so loud and destructive. We too must make our voices heard or our silence will be misinterpreted as acquiescence or apathy.

“When faith translates into action, as it often does, it can have a noticeable benefit on civil society” (Most Americans Still Pray, Believe in God, by Leslie Grimard, July 19, 2013).

Continue Our Efforts to Strengthen Traditional Marriage and Family.

Research shows that over the past five decades there has been a steady decline in marriage and family values. This directly coincides with the steady increase in the number of heterosexual couples who believe that a marriage commitment isn’t really necessary in order to have a fulfilling relationship – or to have children together; dismissing a child’s need for the stability of traditional family life.

“It used to be called illegitimacy. Now it is the new normal. After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage . Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, motherhood without marriage has settled deeply into middle America… both a symbol of the transforming family and a hint of coming generational change.

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Almost all of the rise in non marital births has occurred among couples living together” (DeParle, J., & Tavernise, S. 2012).

Yet today, in the same society that disregards the importance of marriage and traditional family life, we have same-sex couples filing lawsuits to be married, and insisting that any child they bring into their relationship be a legal part of that marriage; demanding that their union be sanctioned by society – as if ordained by God – for the sake of their children. What irony! Looks like if Satan can’t destroy traditional marriage and family one way, he will try another!

As hard and costly as the fight has been to protect marriage and family – with little to fleeting success – we cannot back down; we must stand firm in our convictions.

The Church made clear its intention for continued support of the Defense Of Marriage Act in its response to the June 26, Supreme Court Marriage Ruling:

“Regardless of the court decision, the Church remains irrevocably committed to strengthening traditional marriage between a man and a woman, which for thousands of years has proven to be the best environment for nurturing children… ” (Church Responds to Supreme Court Marriage Rulings, June 26, 2013).

But for anyone who is beginning to feel discouraged in the fight for marriage and family, take heart in the fact that the Court’s ruling was close, 5-4, and that “Five people in robes are not bigger than God” (Governor Mike Huckabee, on Supreme Court Ruling, June 26, 2013).

America’s Majority Voice Must Be Upheld

Critical to the health and well being of any free society is to honor and uphold the voice of the majority, while respecting and protecting the rights of the minority. But that’s not what’s happening in this country today.

As of late the voice of the minority seems to have the power, while the rights of the majority go unprotected and disregarded – leaving people baffled and confused as to how that’s possible.

Case in point. California Governor Jerry Brown just signed a bill into law making California the first state to allow transgender students to pick the restrooms they want to use, and the sports teams they want to play on, based on their “deepest feelings” of gender identity … on any given day.

This law covers California’s 6.2 million elementary and high school kids in public schools. Wonder how many of them are transgender students? But one thing’s for certain, the majority – if not almost all – of those 6.2 million kids are not transgender students but are heterosexual students. What about their rights, their needs, their comfort level?

“While trying to address a concern of less than 2 percent of the population, California is now forcibly violating the rights of the other 98 percent” (Tim Donnelly, California Assemblyman).

But California isn’t the only state whose majority is having minority policies shoved down their throats by the hand of liberal government. For the first time, Chicago public schools are introducing – against the outcry of angry parents – mandatory sexual and health education (including transgender choice) for all kindergarten classes. No, it’s not a typo: Kindergarten!

In response to the outrageousness of the situation the question was asked “Is it truly responsible to encourage kids to cross the gender Rubicon before they’ve learned how to read” (Gender ID Bill Bears Risk of Personal Pain, by Debra J. Saunders, The San Francisco Chronicle)?

Another huge moral issue facing America is the abortion controversy. In spite of the fact that a recent Gallup Survey  found the majority of American’s identify themselves as pro life, and believe that abortion is morally wrong, legislation is being passed and signed into law which will allow nurses, certified midwives, and other specially trained clinicians to perform early-term vacuum aspiration and medicine-induced abortions. One such bill (AB 154) just cleared both houses of the state legislature in California last week, and is awaiting Brown’s signature.

Whatever Happened to “Majority Rules”

So here’s the critical question! Since polls show that a whopping majority –72% of this Nation – believes that we’re in a moral free fall, why isn’t the majority trying to do more about it?

But on second thought, maybe that’s the wrong question to ask. Perhaps the question to ask is … can they do anything about it? Can the majority voice of the people actually affect moral codes and laws in this country, considering today’s social and political climate, far reaching political corruption and liberal leadership?

If we go by what is happening in Chicago schools, what has happened in California with the Defense Of Marriage Act and the California Transgender Law, then the answer to that question is “No,” the majority no longer has the power to set society’s laws and standards in today’s America; and therein lies the problem!

One of the most revealing and incriminating statements made in support of this fact was issued by the Church in response to what many perceived as an overreach of power by the Supreme Court.

“By ruling that supporters of Proposition 8 lacked standing to bring this case to court, the Supreme Court has highlighted troubling questions about how our democratic and judicial system operates. Many Californians will wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong when their government will not defend or protect a popular vote that reflects the views of a majority of their citizens” (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responds to Supreme Court Marriage Rulings, June 26, 2013, bold added).

Also in a blistering rebuke of the High Court’s Decision, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called the Decision “Jaw-Dropping,” and issued the following statement in his Dissenting Opinion:

“The self-governing power of the people has been eroded …Today’s opinion aggrandizes the power of the court to pronounce the law … It will have the predictable consequence of diminishing the power of our people to govern themselves” (US Scalia Dissent on Gay Marriage, June 26, 2013).

The challenge to reverse the morally destructive influence that is being exerted by a minority of Americans right now seems almost impossible. But we need to just press forward and remember, “We haven’t failed until we quit trying.” (Gordon B. Hinckley)

Avoid Unrighteous Entertainment

In addition to marriage, family and gender issues of our day, premarital sex has become a common and expected part of today’s dating scene for many. A way of getting to know someone better or to satisfy lustful desires; with the government providing young girls easy access to the “<a target="_self" href="https://www.

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<hr class=’system-pagebreak’ />foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/21/fda-allows-over-counter-morning-after-pill-lifts-age-limit/”>morning after” pill  (available in most pharmacies and grocery stores) without any age restrictions or the need of any parental notification.

Stoking the fires of this licentious behavior is the news, internet, vulgar and suggestive music, promiscuous fashion, sexually explicit TV shows, movies and an unhealthy obsession with celebrities; their personal lives, houses, clothing, cars, friends, hair styles, etc.

I think it’s quite accurate to say that it’s America’s powerful and influential entertainment industry that is setting the standards for American Society today… not God.

But if people really want to change this situation, the 72 percent of Americans (or at least the majority of them) who say they are concerned about the moral decay in this country need to reject all unrighteous and prurient entertainment; then the entertainment industry wouldn’t have the viewing audience or the financial staying power to continue to produce it! They would be forced to change their programing in order to stay in business.

We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet to Guide Us in These Latter Days

God has recently instructed His Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, to lower the age of missionary service; significantly increasing the numbers needed in His Holy Army to fight this looming battle of moral disintegration.

Heavenly Father knows that it is missionaries – ordained messengers of light and truth – that are desperately needed at this critical time to bring people out of darkness into the light of Christ, and we must help to build and support this army in every way we can.

Encourage our children and grandchildren to go on missions, serve as senior missionaries, or volunteer for a service mission. If for some reason it’s not possible to serve away from home, then find opportunities close to home.

Also of great importance to this work is giving all we can to the Missionary Fund of the Church. Whatever it takes to bring the light of Christ into this dark and flailing world is what we need to do.

Imagine if all people of faith, people who love God and country (of whom there are many), would encourage their spiritual leaders to talk seriously about the consequences of sin in their sermons, and refuse the current trend to teach people to “accept themselves” and “love themselves” no matter what they do; people would see the error of their ways, repent, and initiate righteous change which would in turn affect society.

Unfortunately, there are some religious leaders today who feel preaching about immorality is judgmental and damaging to a person’s self esteem. But being held accountable for our actions is absolutely critical if we want to restore America’s moral compass!

“This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” – Winston Churchill 

Destructive winds of moral decay are howling across America with great force, imposing serious – if not fatal – consequences.

However, we know from the inspiring accounts in the Book of Mormon that unrighteous human behavior can be changed; wicked people can be brought to a knowledge of God, repent and find true happiness. But it takes charity, faith, diligence, long suffering and sacrifice from those who are willing to carry the light and fight the good fight. Alma and the sons of Mosiah are great examples of what we can do with God’s help.

I believe the key to success is to follow the counsel of President Gordon B. Hinckley, who said to get down on our knees and pray as if everything depends on the Lord, and then get up and go to work as if everything depends on us.

Then just as we would do for any loved one or dear friend who is suffering from a life threatening illness, we need to offer up our faith and prayers to Almighty God on behalf of our beloved America for a much-needed turnaround and recovery, or she won’t survive.

 

DeParle, J., & Tavernise, S. (February 17, 2012). For Women Under 30 Most Births Occur Outside Marriage. The New York Times,

  Grimard, L. (July 16, 2013). Family Fact of the Week: Majority of Americans Pray. The   Foundry, 

Penn, M. (June, 2012). Americans Are Losing Confidence in the Nation but Still Believe in Themselves. In The Atlantic, 

 Stark, R. (July 5, 2013). The Myth of Unreligious America. In TheWall Street Journal,

 Wetzstein, C. (May 22, 2013). Gallup Poll: Most Americans Think the Country’s Lost its Moral Compass. In The Washington Times,