Well?...Gee!...Why is anyone surprised?
Since the mid-1800s our nation's children have been educated in socialist government schools. At their very best, these government schools offered a tepid Protestantism and for a long time now the fare has been utterly godless in its worldview.
Simply by attending children learn that the government has **enormous** power to force their neighbors to pay for a service their parents want for tuition-free. Children learned that government could, and **does**, send out armed police to force children to use the socialist schools. Well?...If government can take money from a neighbor for free schools why not have the government pay for Obamacare and a thousand other socialist wants and needs, and force the citizens to use them? Is a “duh!” necessary?
Also...At their best the government schools offered up a generic and lukewarm Protestantism. By my grandmother's day ( born 1894) her schools were almost entirely secular and godless. There was a **HUGE** difference between the government schools my grandmother and father ( born 1913) attended and the vigorous Christianity woven into every minute of my mother's parents’, her’s, and my Catholic education.
If 4 to 5 or 6 generations are indoctrinated to feel comfortable with socialism and secularism ( at best, a lukewarm Protestantism) in our government schools, why should anyone be surprised that America is drifting toward socialism and secularism?
By the way, we know what Christ does with the lukewarm.
Tepid Protestants that desired to start a nation based on biblical principles. Free to pursue God without the dictates of others.
This nation was a grand experiment, something never before attempted. Its early success was stellar, but not without flaws.
You focus on those flaws and attempt to throw them at the feet of protestants, AS IF catholics would have/are above reproach.
John Adams said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and righteous people. It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other."
Being that we were a constitutional Republic, it gave people of all walks of life and religious beliefs access to vote. That includes catholics.
If I pointed out the sins every claimed catholic did, you would be rightly offended, that the sins of one man (or 20 or 2000) do not reflect the position of the church. Likewise the same holds true within protestantism.
There are MANY MANY people, who claim to be "christians", either catholic or protestant, who do not live within biblical principles.
It is human nature to sin. As the Bible says in Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
That applies to protestants as well as catholics.
The Declaration and Constitution were not documents that simply appeared. There were many great (but sinful) men who gathered to forge this nation. But it happened over months. Months of this man wanting this or that man wanting that. Were either man right or wrong? Some were, some weren't. The issue is MANY men gathered with differing viewpoints to create this nation. Many of those men from the same churches or denominations, and yet having differing opinions.
And that right there is the problem.
The 2nd law of thermal dynamics is partially a general law of decay. This applies to life also. Unless man continually applies energy (seeking God) to our lives, our moral energy will in time decline. The same holds true within government (groups of men). Unless ALL these men equally seek God in unison, there governmental endeavors over time will decay. Actually, this isn't about men seeking God, as much as its about seeking God AND ...ALLOWING him to work out his will in our lives. Without this, no matter the desire, work or principles, the endeavor will ultimately decay.
That is where we are at today.
Charles Stanley, at the end of his message, challenged those in his congregation, as well as those watching, to do the ONE THING (and only thing) that will turn this nation around. He asked that anyone who wanted to return this nation to where it was, should for the next 140 days, pray for Gods intervention.
2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
We can either snipe and lay (undeserved) blame at the feet of others, or we can do the one thing that will turn this country around. PRAY
When I watched this program last night on tv, I stood up with the congregation on tv, vowing to pray for this nation, for the next 140 days.
You can whine, moan, complain and lay blame about the state of our country all you want. Or you can join this "lukewarm protestant" in praying for this nation.