Are The Moral Values In The U.S. Getting Worse ?

These charts are from a Gallup Poll -- done between May 4th and 8th of a random national sample of 1,025 American adults, with a margin of error of 4 points.

It seems that about 73% (nearly three-fourths) of the people in this country say they believe the state of moral values is getting worse in this country. I find that rather shocking, and I disagree with it. The truth is that while a lot of hate still exists, more Americans enjoy more equal rights than ever before in this country -- and that's because a greater portion of the population now believes in giving those rights to all people (and in letting others live their lives on their own terms).

To me, that spells a more moral America, and a case can be made that we are becoming a more moral nation. So why do so many think otherwise? I think they are confusing morality with religion. They know that the portion of non-religious people in the U.S. is growing, and the portion of religious people is shrinking -- and this has been happening for decades now.

The problem with that thinking is that religion is more concerned with dogma rather than morality. And they defend that dogma (equating it with morality) even when it hurts other people -- for instance discriminating against or denying rights to others when it conflicts with religious beliefs. Morality is different. It is doing what's right (helping others) even when it may be in conflict with dogma.

Some religious people are very moral, and some non-religious people are not moral at all -- and conversely, some non-religious people are very moral while some religious people are immoral. This is because religion and morality are not the same thing, and in fact, they have little to do with each other.