THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IX, Issue # 50, March 18, 2007
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
AMERICA'S MORAL VALUES WORRY EVERYONE
By Alan Caruba
TRADITIONAL JUDEO-CHRISTIAN MORAL VALUES & THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: HOW FAR HAS AMERICA
STRAYED FROM THE MORAL VALUES WE CLAIM TO HOLD IN ESTEEM & IN COMMON? DEBATING THE ISSUES
RELATED TO MORAL DECLINE IN AMERICA: REDEFINING MARRIAGE TO INCLUDE HOMOSEXUAL COHABITATION --
REMOVING THE WORD "CHRISTMAS" OR "EASTER" FROM THE CELEBRATION OF TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS -- LEGALIZING
THE KILLING OF THE UNBORN THROUGH ABORTIONS -- THE PORNOGRAPHIC CONTENT OF MOVIES & TELEVISION
PROGRAMS
FULL STORY:
I’ve always taken some pride in the way I was raised and have striven to conduct my life accordingly. I am no moral paragon,
but I regard my sins as fairly minor and certainly no problem to anyone around me. My bad habits tend to be a fondness for
good cigars, the occasional sip of cream sherry, and indulgences such as a daily dose of ice cream and a bit of candy.
I am, moreover, suspicious of people who harangue the rest of us for our bad behavior when, it seems, they often end up
being exposed as hypocrites. That said, I think we need our priests, our pastors, and our rabbis to remind us of how
beneficial a life devoted to clean thoughts, good deeds, and proper behavior can be.
My attention was drawn to the issue of morality in America by a Washington Times article titled, “Americans See
Media Aiding Moral Decline.” A group called the Culture and Media Institute of the Media Research Center had released
the results of a “National Cultural Values Survey” that concluded the current “culture war” is grounded in “disagreements
over religious issues.”
Considering that more than a billion of our fellow inhabitants of planet Earth are Muslims and that a significant portion of
them are said to be repulsed by the sexual mores they see in American movies and television, this issue takes on
considerable importance because, should the Muslim extremists have their way and succeed in fulfilling their chants of
“Death to America,” a strict interpretation of Islamic, or Sharia, law would be imposed on the entire world.
Sharia law is not merely harsh. It is often barbaric.
Of course, Muslims also shout “Death to Israel,” calling for total annihilation of the ancient homeland of the Jews, whose
laws formed the bedrock of Western civilization and ascendancy. The morality we take for granted is the morality set forth
in the Old Testament and elaborated upon by the New Testament.
Morality is an issue that is integral to the founding of the American Republic because those early fathers of our
nation were firm believers in “virtue,” a word that was frequently on their lips and in their writings. By virtue, they meant
the ways individuals behave toward one another and a general, public respect for honesty, personal responsibility, sexual
restraint, and a body of benevolent behavior that has a regard for the young, the old, and those less fortunate among us.
The American founding fathers were not saints, but they knew and understood the need for proper behavior.
If a modern politician was to discuss virtue today, it is likely he would be laughed out of the room, but practically everyone
pays lip service to virtue in some fashion. Those deemed to have lived lives of reasonable propriety tend to gain our trust.
The misdeeds of those in public office or questing it are a matter of considerable discussion.
How far has America strayed from the values we claim to hold in esteem and in common? A nation of more than 300 million
people is bound to have a goodly number of those who transgress. America probably has more people in jail than just about
any other nation on earth, and the reason must be that we have the least amount of forgiveness for people who break the law.
That is surely one measure of morality.
To return, however, to the results of the survey, I am inclined to agree that films and television are major contributors to the
decay and decline that is impossible to ignore. Take a look at the typical evening’s schedule of programs, whether it is the
networks or cable channels.
What passes for situation comedies are rife with sexual references. Dramas seem fixated on the subject and, of course,
violence is a constant theme in what passes for our “entertainment.” Our news is filled with reports of celebrities and
ordinary folk who are arrested as the result of what is often bizarre behavior. A former astronaut pursues her love interest’s
new girlfriend. A former Playboy centerfold dies under suspicious circumstances. A beauty queen risks her crown for risqué
photos.
Debates rage over the redefining of what marriage is, despite centuries of the norm that it constitutes the bonding of a man
and a woman. Communities try to eliminate the word Christmas or Easter from the celebration of holidays that reach back
hundreds of years.The killing of the unborn, decades after a Supreme Court ruling, still enrages those for whom the sanctity
of life lies at the heart of their beliefs.
I submit that the day this nation abandons these debates and eliminates the prohibitions that represent our common definition
of moral behavior is the day this nation will truly begin to lose its hold on our own and the world’s respect.
So, Americans must continue to grapple with issues of moral decline and must decry the soft decay of our mutually held
values. It is a good thing we debate these things. A completely secular society is one in which “everything goes” and, when
that occurs, the first thing to go will be the United States of America.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Morality, Decency, & Traditional American Family Values
Marriage, Family, & Society
Religion, Secularism, & America
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
Caruba’s new book, Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy, has been published by Merril Press.
© Alan Caruba 2007
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity