Silicon
24th July 2003, 09:49 AM
I think everyone has heard the old saw "We should get back to the traditional American belief in God values that were so much a part of our country back in the" ...1950's ...40's....30's... etc.
I seem to recall reading evangelist quotes in those era's ALSO recalling an earlier time when religion was more important than the heathen values of the current era.
It seems obvious to me that these are "good ol days" arguments, about days that weren't necessarily as good as they are remembered to be. I recall hearing a statistic that showed that people are actually MORE religious now than ever before in America's history.
By "religious" I mean "religious" as would mollify these "God and Country" xtians.
Does anyone have data that shows that there are more church-going Christians per capita now than in these supposed "good ol days" of yore?
I'd love to have that data, to counter those ol "The country is in moral decline" folks who bemoan that the Supreme Court just told people that consentual, private, adult non-commercial Sex is not the Government's business.
I can say "Well, there's more christians now than ever, so if the morality of the country is going down the toilet, maybe it's because of all the christians........."
Of course, they'd reverse that cause and effect.
But at least I might get them to stipulate that in their view morality was higher in a time when FEWER people were xtian.
I seem to recall reading evangelist quotes in those era's ALSO recalling an earlier time when religion was more important than the heathen values of the current era.
It seems obvious to me that these are "good ol days" arguments, about days that weren't necessarily as good as they are remembered to be. I recall hearing a statistic that showed that people are actually MORE religious now than ever before in America's history.
By "religious" I mean "religious" as would mollify these "God and Country" xtians.
Does anyone have data that shows that there are more church-going Christians per capita now than in these supposed "good ol days" of yore?
I'd love to have that data, to counter those ol "The country is in moral decline" folks who bemoan that the Supreme Court just told people that consentual, private, adult non-commercial Sex is not the Government's business.
I can say "Well, there's more christians now than ever, so if the morality of the country is going down the toilet, maybe it's because of all the christians........."
Of course, they'd reverse that cause and effect.
But at least I might get them to stipulate that in their view morality was higher in a time when FEWER people were xtian.