I can't stop thinking about the moral decline America has gone through since World War II, and how the church may be responsible at least in part for it. America was founded as a deeply religious country, and somehow we (the church) have allowed a pretty devout country (at least in its founding) over 250 years, to become perhaps the most degenerate society since the classical Greek and Roman cultures.
I do think that any country which experiences the sort of economic blessings and upward mobility that America has given people for the last 70 years is going to become decadent. In that, I don't think it's a uniquely American thing. We are the most prosperous country in the history of mankind when you consider the opportunities that people have had, both native born people and people who have come here, have experienced.
Perhaps Christians in America are not so bad in that any nation which experiences our kind of prosperity will naturally become materialistic and worldly, and will probably subvert evangelization and witnessing to others about Christ to more immediate economic concerns, opportunities, and increased avenues for pleasure, which our media system has certainly given us. Additionally, the fact that evangelicals in particular, who form a great percentage of the church as it is portrayed in American popular culture, always seem like they want to fit in and be "relatable" to unbelievers in their messaging (I'm talking about churches and ministries, not necessarily the people who attend those churches) in order to win them explains why those same religions are rejected by most people.
I also don't think people see enough light shining from us as a whole. If people want a religion, which very often they don't in America (for the very same reasons that Christians become lukewarm) they want one that clearly is producing fruit in the lives of those who adhere to it.
I don't think that the Christian faith does well in times of prosperity. In ancient days, Rome was corrupt, and the Christians brought salt and light into it, whereas the exact reverse has occurred in America in the last 70 years or so. This seems to correspond almost perfectly with the rise of America as a world superpower following World War I and the industrial revolution before that, notwithstanding the Great Depression. I know there was slavery before all of that and it's not like America was ever a Christian utopia, but it wasn't as degenerate as now. What is concerning is that AI can end up turning even more people away from God, as they can try to become their own digital gods.
One could argue that it was the industrial revolution and the increased opportunity for wealth and pleasure that compromised the church, especially after World War II, coupled with the vapid nature of modern evangelical religion and public indifference and mistrust towards traditional (in this case, Catholic) religion that explains why America is such a profoundly declining and irreligious nation.
It seems like unbelieving America has rejected evangelical Protestantism because it sees no fruit, because it is in love with sin and with the devil (there are so many opportunities in America to worship the devil and his fruits), there's not enough contrast between evangelical religion and the world, and Catholicism is not a viable alternative to many unchurched people because having a religion that is perceived as restrictive, formal, and rigid is the last thing they are wanting. I mean, if Protestant evangelical preaching was compelling at all, I think droves of people would sign up, because having a "personal" religion ("relationship") with God apart from any membership to a church is about as appealing a concept as an American would be willing to accept.
I would like to get opinions from those who have tracked with this post (sorry!) on whether the church's failure in America in the last 70 years is due to economics, spirituality, both, or factors I am not taking into account?
I personally believe that there's only two religions that have the power to stop the tide of evil in America currently. One is Eastern Orthodoxy and the other is Islam. My first reason for thinking that is the counties where these religions are practiced by the majority of people are not suffering the same problems as the U.S. I don't see the same culture in Romania, Iraq, Russia, the Baltic countries, or Saudi Arabia that I see in America. That has to say either that the religions are more reverent, which stems the tide of evil, or that those countries are simply better off morally because they haven't been exposed to so much wealth. Maybe both.
The second reason I believe that only Eastern Orthodoxy or Islam can stem the tide of evil in America is because I know firsthand that these religions are highly reverent towards God, whether or not you believe in their specific tenets. There is no question when you enter a mosque or a divine liturgy that there is a great sense of reverence towards God and the things of God, and that is precisely the thing that would be needed to change the spiritual landscape in America. Add to that that I think evangelical and Catholic religion are simply too familiar to most unbelievers. All of them know evangelicals and Catholics personally and not enough of them know that we are different enough from them to actually offer them anything they don't already have through their worship of wealth and opportunity.
Personally, I think unbelievers in America would need to be exposed to something totally different in order to change. One thing you can say about Eastern Orthodoxy and Islam is that the way they dress and the way they gesture and the way they live are things that can be tangibly observed, noticed, and appreciated, even if one doesn't agree. When you look at these groups, you can tell that their faith is something that actually impacts their day to day lives. Maybe that is the religion, even beyond Orthodoxy or Islam, that America needs.
That being said, I have no plans to convert to Islam, but I appreciate the sincerity of their faith and devotion. I am looking into Orthodoxy!