There I made the statement concerning the American people, suggesting we were not the same people as were present during America's formative years, specifically the founding era and Revolution. I would like to qualify that bit.
Culture is an ever-evolving thing, usually in a degrading mode, but at times driving itself in a positive direction. Marrian-Webster in today's modern dictionary defines the term as ": the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.
also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time."
It involves more than just home influence in one's youth, though that is of great importance. However, we all know people who have raised their children with Christian influence only to see them abandon the faith in their teens. We also know people who came from non-Christian homes and found faith in Christ in their teens. What we are talking about are societal influences from many different spheres of life that reinforce particular beliefs and behaviors. That is the basis of culture, and it is these influences that build in us certain tendencies and patterns of thought that become a part of who we are. That assessment is not built upon any area of expertise, just simply a little common sense and logical duction applied.
For instance, let's say, cohabitation (shacking up), in the founding era this particular form of behavior would have been discouraged at home, at church, at work, at school, among friends, clubs, politics, media, books, just about every form of social behavior one would attend, participate in, or be apart of. This would certainly affect your understanding of what is acceptable and expected behavior. The religious and non-religious alike would most likely share the same opinion. Their behavior as well as their expected behavior of others would fall into this category.
However, today this is quite different, it has made its way into our society as acceptable behavior in many spheres. Naturally, it still carries a certain enigma because of this previous culture. The culture mix in the spheres of influence now creates competing views on this behavior. One may still have perhaps home and religious influence telling them it is unacceptable. The many other spheres, media, friends, clubs, and associations with various groups may all be telling them it is acceptable behavior. These persuasions come with the current logical reasonings why they are acceptable. Therefore, today's culture will give much more freedom to the conscience and this develops in the mind a different understanding of moral reality. The result? We are different people today with many different views concerning the world around us than those of our founding era. Such changes in doctrinal views also affect how we see and understand our religious views.
"The cradle-songs of childhood; the home scenes of prayer and piety; the common and academic schools of the country; the Christian colleges of the republic; the literature of the age; the songs of patriotism and religion; the eloquence of the forum and the pulpit; the councils of civil cabinets
and the military camps; public men and private citizens of all classes, became the medium of diffusing the religious spirit and power of the Revolution. This fact induced Washington to say, 'I am sure that there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States, and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency which was so often manifested during the Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them. He must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.'" - B. F. Morris, "Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States of America" 1864, page 48.
The brief quote above gives us a glimpse of what would be major and majority influences upon our Founders. This would reach broadly into every area of society. It would affect the way our schools were run, the formation and acceptance of our laws and justice system. It would permeate our politics and just about every aspect of our social and public lives. So as we continue in our study, many views held by them, the laws they lived by, and the judicial rulings along with the structure of their civil institutions will in many ways sound very strange if not absurd to us. Many changes have already been made in our institutions of government and higher learning, and we are struggling with many more which are yet to come as we depart from our Founding cultural influences. I hope this is being helpful in understanding the changes we are seeing and perhaps what may unfold before us in our near future.
May the grace of God be with each of you,
David
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