Why America Needs The Ten Commandments to Return to the Public Sphere

To any casual observer of contemporary American politics, it is clear that the United States is at a serious cultural crossroads. In the figurative sense, America today is like a ship without a sail or a vessel without a destination. Historically founded upon Enlightenment-Era principles rooted in Judeo-Christian values, the country prospered socially and fiscally primarily due to the virtuous characteristics of many communities comprised of families and individuals who sacrificed and contributed for the greater good. While changes have been gradually occurring in American society over the last six or more decades, the realities of social decline within the nation are today arguably at their most glaring point in history. This deterioration is, at root, most visible at the "micro" level- in family units and individual households, communities and states. Make no mistake: these various "micro" spheres of social composition are not small in relevance or weight- in fact, they guide the "macro" trend, or the larger diagnosis of the cultural health of the nation. In my recently published book, American Restoration, the vital importance of the American community is discussed among other things when examining the cultural deterioration that has occurred in the country over the last several decades. Ultimately, the health of communities consistently erodes in any society when the social, fiscal, and moral integrity of the families that comprise them declines as well.

One glaring statistic that cannot be ignored is the near-death of the American nuclear family. The "nuclear family" unit was the dominant traditional familial social structure that existed in the United States from its conception through the near-present and in much of the western world throughout history. In this structure, two parents (typically a husband and wife) live in a single residence with one or more children. According to statistics published by Pew Research in a 2023 report, in 1970 67% of American adults aged 25 to 49 lived with a spouse and at least one child. By 2021, that number had declined to only 37%. Yes, at present, the majority of Americans no longer live in a Nuclear Familial Structure. Marriage rates have also declined precipitously, and less and less young people are getting married- these realities are outlined in a recent report published by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. 

One might ask: Why does this matter? Is it really that "big of a deal" if most American children grow up in single parent households? Many young Americans today put an increasingly small level of importance on traditional family structures. According to a report conducted by the Institute for Family Studies in 2022, only 30% of Americans who are college educated and liberal in political affiliation believed that children were better off if they had two married parents. In stark contrast, 91% of conservative-leaning individuals with a college education believed children were better off in this regard. These realities demonstrate the growing cultural divide in the United States, and the increasingly prevalent reality that vast cultural differences are exacerbating in the country. America can no longer boast that its collective body of people- the citizenry- subscribe in strong majority to a uniform set of shared moral and social values. This great fragmentation within national society all starts at the family level. 

The truth of the matter is, objectively speaking, most children that grow up in a two-parent household are more likely to enjoy stability which in turn benefits them greatly when taking into consideration academic and behavioral growth and achievement over time. A child who not only has the nurturing hand of a mother to guide and encourage them but also the stern, masculine influence of a father who will lead with "tough love" and honest criticism is objectively at an advantage to the individual who may only be raised by a single parent. Single-parents often lack the time or resources that two-parent households can dedicate to a child due to the subjective realities of the situation they are in. While these statements are generalized and made in a broad sense (the writer does not mean to imply that single-parents are incapable of providing a stable and secure upbringing for children), they do hold truth. Research strongly suggests that two-parent households are strongly linked to the well-being of children in fiscal, social, and emotional regards. In the aforementioned publication released by the Institute for Family Studies, a study was referenced that showed that social misbehavior in an educational setting was twice as common amongst children living with separated or divorced parents compared to those living with married parents. This study also reported that 40% of Millennials (individuals born between 1981 and 1996) who grew up in a two-parent household achieved academic success and graduated college by their mid-20's in comparison to only 17% that came from broken households. 77% of Millennials who grew up in two-parent households reached "middle class" or higher in terms of socioeconomic status by their mid-30's, while  only 57% of those who grew up without two-parents in the home reported the same. 

If the United States is going to return to a place of socio-cultural stability and relative prosperity in average communities across the nation, it must begin with the revival of the individual family unit. Families were and still are the driving forces behind the vibrancy of neighborhoods and communities, and individuals that comprise these communities contribute to societal stability and generate meaningful change. Historically, the traditional American family operated within a Biblical structure. The Judeo-Christian values that formed the bedrock of American culture at the political and social levels even when the Republic existed in its most nascent form in the 1780s (and even prior) were the ethical guiding forces for the American family unit and every citizen. At root, the choice to subscribe to these values was an individual choice; that person could choose to follow the moral principles outlined in the Christian and Jewish faiths, or they could not. While many people did indeed live non-virtuous lives, in previous years however, communities across America boldly adhered to these objective moral principles in the public sphere. People had a strong incentive to abide by these principles- if they did not, consequences often followed. By setting objective moral standards for what was deemed right, and what was wrong, American communities had a clear, concise ethos for all to follow. For example, in years past, it was quite taboo in many American communities for people to act in unruly ways in public. The excessive and open use of profanity was highly frowned upon, individuals (especially women) were expected to dress modestly and to lead faithful, non-promiscuous livelihoods. The consequences for such behaviors that went against these expectations (while not always legal in nature) were often social. A persons reputation mattered greatly in close-knit communities like small towns or tight city neighborhoods, and once that reputation was tarnished in a serious and legitimate way, the repercussions were often irreparable. Today, there is no longer a "built-in" deterrent for questionable or improper personal conduct in many communities across America because there is no longer an objective standard of morality that exists in the nation in a large sense. In truth, America has increasingly become a society based around "moral-relativism" and subjective notions of morality. Moral relativism can be defined as the idea that there are no objective or absolute moral principles. History has shown that this never ends favorably- in societies that have moved away from the objective adherence of Judeo-Christian values and the objective sense of public morality that these values provide, horrific atrocities have often been committed (Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia under Stalin, Mao's China, etc). 

Make no mistake- the writer is not calling for a unification of church or state, or for a "forced" conversion of Americans to Judaism or Christianity. What must be said, however, is that America is a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, and throughout national history these values provided the figurative pillars of social, political, and cultural support that allowed the nation to thrive. In the simplest of terms, these values can be outlined through the Ten Commandments which are found in the Hebrew Bible (the Torah) and the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. Appearing in distinct Books (Exodus and Deuteronomy), these commandments were (according to Christian and Jewish tradition) given to Moses by God at Mount Sinai after he delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and established a new covenant (or social agreement) with God. These commandments were then, and are still today, rules to abide by in order to lead a virtuous and moral life. For thousands of years, nations across the western world have socially operated in at least a general adherence to these commandments as they set  objective standards for what is right, and what is wrong. These commandments along with the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth), defined in 375 A.D. by the Christian Monk Evagrius Ponticus created a uniform and universal notion about righteous and unrighteous living for societies to follow. This created a "cement-like" foundation, and individual adherence was paramount; for if one did not follow these commandments and routinely engaged in ethically questionable activities, they were not only hurting the community and their families, but God himself. 

America is at a crossroads. A country without an objective moral compass cannot remain a country at all. And a people without a shared culture, stable families, or a sense of common decency and etiquette, possesses no possibility of maintaining social cohesiveness or healthy communities. Now, more than ever, America needs the Ten Commandments. By returning to the basics and the foundation of western society, only then can the country begin to face the many social, fiscal, political, and over-arching cultural problems it so desperately needs to address.