Dakota Beacon

Observing the passing scene begs the question, “Is America in decline?”

This can be a touchy issue. Some, with a false sense of pride, might scoff. Others might ignore the question with a whiff of denial. Still others sense an uneasiness they can’t articulate.

At the risk of dating myself, there was a time in college courses when Sociology 101 presupposed that the foundation of society rested upon three pillars: home, church and school. The strength of society may be measured by the strength of these pillars.

Home. The traditional home is fragmented more than ever. Fewer and fewer children are raised in a two-parent stable, environment. Divorce is the norm and continues to rise. With two parents working by choice or necessity it is only natural to peel off the kids and hire others to raise them. It is these “others” whose hodgepodge of values will groom the next generation. Exposure of children to a multitude of electronic distractions inhibits full development, fosters short attention spans and creates expectations of stimulation with an insatiable desire for entertainment. These future citizens will be entrusted with our representative republic.

Church. Deterioration within the protestant denominations establishes a watershed. Two drops of water falling on either side of a watershed may end up a thousand miles apart. The same is true with regard to which side of the divide one places the authority of the Scripture. From the early 1900s onward Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians and some Baptists wrestled with the authority of Scripture. The question: “Is the Holy Scripture true, infallible and without error?” The answer to the question is critical. It determines what it means to be a Christian theologically and how we live consistent lives. This begs a second question: “Can humans control and perfect our lives saving ourselves? Or do we need a Savior to reconcile our rebellion to our Creator?”

Martin Luther understood this issue correctly when he said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. To be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” America seems to be flinching from the early 1900s onward and the decline of Christian influence in our culture is manifest.

School. The United States falls short of the top twenty nations of the world in math, science and reading. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducts the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “The results from the 2012 PISA show that teenagers in the U.S. slipped from 25^th to 31^st in math since 2009; from 20^th to 24^th in science; and from 11^th to 21^st in reading….” Public education experimented with our children seeking to raise education standards using School-to-Work and Goals 2000. The latest fad is the Common Core Curriculum. Additionally, traditional morality has been replaced with values-free Values Clarification and free-floating Character Counts. On the other hand, logic and economics are alien subjects. Political Correctness trumps classical literature.

Every new experiment foisted on our kids puts them further behind kids from other countries. However, they feel good about themselves with their new-found self-esteem reinforced with an abundance of non-academic activities. Even colleges and universities become laboratories of political correctness forsaking their reputation as institutions of higher learning.

Revealing further societal decay is the means by which we express our thoughts – our language. Words become orphans when discarded through speech codes or rejected through a false sense of “judgmentalism.” Character, morality, conscience, fidelity, honor and virtue all have connotations many folks would rather not deal with. These words are “judgmental” implying higher standards many would just as soon disregard.

With the coarsening of our culture, our society’s sense of meaning is reduced to material and sexual context. If anything, our culture has devolved into individuals fixated more on personal identity and less on cultural unity. Do we even have a collective national soul?

Observing culture and society from the perspective of the passing scene, progress does not appear encouraging in the near term.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).