According to a recent Wall Street Journal / NBC News Poll, Americans are more concerned about the decline in moral values than they are about possible terrorist attacks here in the U.S. In the poll taken the second week of June, Americans were queried about a series of issues prominent in the national conversation and asked which they found most alarming. The results are eye-opening.
First Choice Second Choice Combined
- The Decline in Moral Values: 25% 9% 34%
- Possible Terrorist Attacks in U.S.: 18% 10% 28%
- Wealthy having too much Influence: 17% 10% 27%
- America loosing Influence in the World: 16% 11% 27%
- Impact of Global Climate Change: 12% 7% 18%
- None/other/Not Sure: 1% — 1%
What is most interesting about this survey is that the majority saw the biggest threat as internal (immorality), not external (terrorist attacks). A study of many of the world’s ancient superpowers reveals their ultimate destruction was due in part to a loss of morality among the citizenry. In the 1800’s, French philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, studied America’s uniqueness among the nations of the world. He observed, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” He also warned, “America is great because she is good. When she ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
The good news is there seems to be an awakening among a majority of U.S. citizens to the potential damage a moral decline can inflict on our delicate social fabric.
The movie ratings system is an example of how easily and seamlessly things can change. Former president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jack Valenti, once told me the MPAA movie ratings “reflect the changing morays of society.” He was, in fact, confessing that the movie ratings system lacks a consistent set of moral absolutes and changes as Society changes. The creation of the movie ratings system cleared the way for sex, language and violence, never before seen in neighborhood theaters, to become legitimized by adding the R and NC-17 ratings.
| G | GENERAL AUDIENCES (All Ages Admitted) |
| PG | PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED (Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children) |
| PG-13 | PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED (Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) |
| R | RESTRICTED (Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian) |
| NC-17 | NO ONE 17 AND UNDER ADMITTED |
One hopeful sign that reflects the public concern about morality is the sea change in recent movie content. Successful films emphasizing family values and faith are increasing in frequency and profits. In 2004 there was only one faith-based film, The Passion of the Crist. In 2014 and 2015, the number of faith-oriented movies has increased to 15 per year. More are in production for 2016, including major titles like the upcoming sequel, God’s Not Dead 2; movies from best-selling novels, The Shack and Christ the Lord; and a remake of Ben-Hur which is being shepherded by Christian entertainment moguls, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey (The Bible Mini-series, Son of God, A.D. the Bible Continues).
If a caring society exerts its influence on the movie industry instead of the other way around, there is a very good chance things will continue to improve. Very soon The Dove Foundation will launch the new DOVE CHANNEL, an online entertainment streaming service. You will have access to hundreds of Dove family-approved and faith-friendly movies and TV series on ROKU, ChromeCast, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, X-Box, as well as apps for all iOS and Android mobile devices. There’s an old saying that bears repeating. “In a capitalist society, the consumer is king and queen.”
Credits: Dick Rolfe, CEO – The Dove Foundation
