The recent Anthony Weiner scandal is just the latest example of poor morals and values found in our culture.

From Weiner's Congressional website.

Some people might feel that because he’s an adult, he should be able to act how he wants and it’s not a big deal that he was developing emotional and erotic relationships electronically with other women while being married. I happen to think that there are still some lines that you don’t cross, and Weiner went too far, lost his credibility and was right to resign.

But an interesting poll highlighted by Christianity Today shows that Americans’ feelings are changing when it comes to the role government should play in promoting values or morals. Here’s an excerpt from the site’s overview of the poll:

“Since 1993, Gallup, CNN, and USA Today have occasionally asked whether people think “the government should promote traditional values in our society” or “the government should not favor any particular set of values.” Just three years ago, only four-in-ten polled said government should not support any one set of values. In this month’s poll, 50 percent said this. For the first time, a minority (46 percent) wanted government to push traditional values.”

Although I’m a big believer in holding people to high moral and ethical standards, I agree with the sentiment that there are more important things for the government to focus on. I’d rather see the government focus protecting the country and creating a job-growth environment than making sure there a laws in place to stop married men from sexting through Twitter.

But even though many Americans feel that way, there still needs to be some kind of moral compass shown by our leaders. You can’t necessarily legislate morality, but elected officials need to set the right examples and work to promote good values. And we all need to take better personal responsibility for our actions. As the results of the poll also showed, Americans know that our values are taking a hit:

“The shift in opinion does not mean that Americans like the current values in society. A January Gallup poll found that seven in ten Americans were dissatisfied with “the moral and ethical climate” in America. This was up from 62 percent a decade ago.”

The best way to improve that climate is to start at home by teaching our kids right and wrong, and holding them accountable. Whether it’s lying or cheating or sleeping around or dozens of other things, we have to make sure there’s a clear line and show kids that there are consequences for their actions. Hopefully when they grow up, those values will have taken hold and they can be examples of integrity for others.

But there’s so much relativism and individual truth in our culture, I don’t know how to develop a stronger standard across our society. We’re never going to be a theocracy, nor should we be. We just need to keep praying for country’s moral and ethical foundation, and living our lives as well as we can.

Anyway, that’s just an interesting poll. Here’s some more interesting tidbits.

Other Links

• If anyone watched the intro to the U.S. Open on Sunday, you probably noticed that NBC cut out the phrase “One nation, under God” while leaving in the rest of the pledge. Pretty glaring omission and definitely not something done on accident in my opinion. They later apologize on air, but it’s incredibly frustrating that people even think to do this in the first place. Here’s a brief story about the apology, and I’ll follow this going forward to see if there are is more fallout. (And yes, I know the original pledge didn’t have “Under God” in it, but it does now and NBC should have had the entire thing. If it’s going to be changed, it needs to be done by Congress, not NBC).
• As a baseball fan and a Rays fan, I’ve closely followed Josh Hamilton’s career. He was supposed to be the next Mickey Mantle, a five-tool player who would bring the Rays to the promised land. But Hamilton got into drug and alcohol problems, and his career was derailed. He later resurfaced with the Cincinnati Red and then the Texas Rangers, earning MVP honors last season. His story is one of redemption and God’s grace, and this Christianity Today story chronicles much of it.
• For all of you Christian rock and worship fans, there was some sad news recently. David Crowder Band has announced that its September album will be its last and that it will close its run with a farewell tour. Click here for more.