Worth Watching

I really rejoiced when I got this link. Finally it has come. A movie about the meaning of faith in the United States of America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-JVMd3pZmc

Over a decade ago I read a book written by Fr. Jan Person. It was his Ph.D. thesis about the history of the Church in the USA. It presented all sorts of struggles and problems that Catholics faced from the time the first immigrants arrived here until the Vietnam War. At that time I found something very interesting -- that Americans didn't know what it was to be an atheist. There were many different Christian denominations but everybody or almost everybody believed in God, one way or another. With the lack of priests many of the Catholic communities were fighting a spiritual battle which sometimes caused some tensions between some groups in town. It is fascinating how in one town there were three or four different Catholic parishes related to the nationality of their members.

When we look now at American society this picture is completely changed. I believe everybody can see that our younger generations are losing their faith. They do not need God anymore because they believe in self-salvation. Of course, a very important part of this process of atheistic growth takes place in colleges, even the ones that call themselves Catholic. I believe that every parent should read the book; "Not a Day Care." It is a very deep study of what is happening on the college campuses.

I also can see that there is some important relationship between the growing number of non-believers and the growth of social problems, mostly related to extreme selfishness in our relationships. It seems that the more our society removes God from the public life the more lost our young people become. It should not surprise us because we learn about true love of our neighbor from God alone. Any other teacher gives only small pieces that make people even more confused.

America was built on God. Remove this foundation and it will collapse. The Pledge of Allegiance from 1954 actually explains everything.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."