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One thing that has happened is that the percentage of Americans that think the Bible is relevant to their life has dramatically dropped.

Per Gallup, the percentage saying that religion is “very important” in their life has dropped from 70% in 1965 to 49% in 2021.

The percentage saying they attended church in the last seven days has dropped from 49% in 1960 to 29% in 2021.

Certainly contributing to this is a long series of court decisions in which interpretations of the First Amendment have been more about purging religion from our public spaces than about protecting religious liberty.

The 1962 decision banning prayer in public schools was just the opening salvo producing our reality today in which traditional values and morality are gone from the instruction our children receive in public schools. Those values have been replaced by the secular humanism of the far left.

It is very popular to think about public policy in terms of the social agenda and the economic agenda, as if these are two separate worlds. But they’re not. As religion declines, government grows.

Perhaps George Washington’s point that a moral and virtuous culture enables popular government can be best understood in that a free society cannot function when individuals cannot govern themselves through personal responsibility.

Tens of trillions have been spent on anti-poverty programs with practically zero impact. Substantial research shows that what really combats recurring poverty is the so-called “success sequence.” Those who finish high school, do not have children before marriage and work overwhelmingly move out of poverty.

Government and politics have become our new religion, despite their dismal track record of success in improving the human condition.

The Penn Wharton Budget model, an economic research group at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, projects now that by 2050, our national debt will be 225% of our GDP.

A national culture increasingly rooted in falsehoods is spending itself into oblivion and bankruptcy.

How about we Americans who still pray direct our prayers that in the upcoming year we see a revival of truth in our nation? Let’s pray that all our citizens see that the only path to freedom is each embracing eternal truths that enable all of us to successfully govern our own lives.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS. COM