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I hope everyone has a great 4th of July. Today we celebrate our Declaration of Independence as a nation. I thought it might make sense to take a look at the first few lines of a document that became the foundation of our nation.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America [Is there anything that we could be unanimous about these days as a nation? What a difference 232 years makes.]

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature [Do we as nation pay attention to the Laws of Nature any longer? Or do we instead prefer the Laws of Men?] and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, [Does our nation still have the consent of the common man or does it have the consent only of the special interest groups?] — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. [How many years until we are forced to abolish it?]

In thinking about our nations birth I wondered just how long our nation can last at its current rate of social change. Historians have documented the stages of great civilizations from their birth to their death. I see no reason why our nation would be any different. I would suggest that the United States of America is possibly as far along as stage 8.

Stage 1 a nation moves from bondage to spiritual faith
Stage 2 a nation moves from spiritual faith to great courage
Stage 3 a nation moves from great courage to liberty
Stage 4 a nation moves from liberty to abundance
Stage 5 a nation moves from abundance to selfishness
Stage 6 a nation moves from selfishness to complacency
Stage 7 a nation moves from complacency to apathy
Stage 8 a nation moves from apathy to moral decay
Stage 9 a nation moves from moral decay to dependence
Stage 10 a nation moves from dependence to bondage

It is said that nations often fall from within and many say “As families go, so goes the nation.” You have no doubt heard our last two Popes express concern for the family in our world today.

In the book Our Dance Has Turned to Death, Carl Wilson identifies the common pattern of family decline in the Greek and the Roman empires. It is scary to consider that our own nation appears to be repeating the history of the previous great empires. I would suggest that our nations is beginning to move into stage 6.

1. Men cease to lead their families in worship. Spiritual and moral development becomes a secondary concern.
2. Men selfishly neglect care for their wives and children to pursue material wealth, political and military power, and cultural development. Material values begin to dominate thought, and man begins to exalt his own role as an individual.
3. There is a change in the sexual values of men. Men become preoccupied with business or war either neglect their wives sexually or became involved with lower-class women or with homosexuality. A double standard of morality is ultimately developed.
4. The value of the role of women in the home and with children is lost. Women are neglected and their roles devalued. Women revolt to gain access to material wealth and also freedom for sex outside marriage. Women also begin to minimize having sex relations to conceive children, and the emphasis of sex is placed on pleasure. Marriage laws are then changed to make divorce easy.
5. Husbands and wives compet against each other for money, home leadership, and the affection of their children. This results in hostility, frustration, and possible homosexuality in children. Many marriages ended in separation and divorce. Many children were unwanted, aborted, abandoned, molested, and undisciplined. As children become more undisciplined, social pressure is increased not to have children. The breakdown of the home produces anarchy.
6. Selfish individualism grows and carries over into society, fragmenting into smaller and smaller group loyalties. The nation is thus weakened by internal conflict. There is a decrease in the birthrate and a larger older population that has a decrease ability to defend itself and less who are willing to do so, making the nation more vulnerable to its enemies.
7. Finally, unbelief in God becomes more complete, parental authority is diminished, and ethical and moral principles disappear, affecting the economy and government. Thus, by internal weakness and fragmentation the society comes apart. The only way to save them is by a dictator who arises from within or by invaders from outside the nation.

These were the patterns of the Greece and Roman empires although this pattern is surely still relevant. Families are the foundation of our nation. When the family crumbles, a nation falls. A nation will not be strong unless the family is strong. That was true in previous civilizations and it is certainly still true today. So I pose this final question to you “Is it possible for our nation to reverse its course in the stages of a nation or in the stages of the family?”

The answer I come up with is “Only if we rely on God”

Dear God Almighty, forgive us our sins and help us to reverse our ways not just as individuals but as a nation. We ask this in your Son’s name, Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen

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