According to a recent poll, more than half of all Americans believe having children outside wedlock is morally acceptable, demonstrating that the moral shift under way for the last 40 years is still moving away from traditional beliefs.

The Los Angeles Times reported that 51% of adults in the U.S. thought it was okay to have a baby outside marriage, compared to 46% who thought it was wrong.

Such poll results would not surprise George Barna, a researcher who follows cultural trends related to religion and morality in the U.S.  In a study of Americans' moral beliefs released in November, Barna found that the majority of adults viewed once unacceptable activities as now acceptable: gambling (61%), cohabitation (60%), and sexual fantasies (59%).

While other activities did not find approval with a majority of Americans, they were still approved by a disturbingly large minority: having an abortion (45%), committing adultery (42%), using pornography (38%), drunkenness (35%) and homosexual sex (30%).

In both studies there was a sharp distinction between the beliefs of Evangelicals, who overwhelming disapproved of such behavior, and unbelievers, who increasingly see nothing wrong with what were once viewed as sins.

The results indicated that church leaders urgently need to begin addressing the culture with the clear teachings of Scripture.

"Until people recognize that there are moral absolutes and attempt to live in harmony with them, we are likely to see a continued decay of our moral foundations," Barna said.

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Ed Vitagliano, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is news editor for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.  This article appeared in the February 2004 issue.

Barna Research Group ( http://www.barna.org )

© 2004 Agape Press.