Forestalling Moral Decay in America

Photo: Panos Pictures.
A priest and an imam join with the local
community to pray as they begin to clean up
the damage in the London borough of Hackney. 

A 20 August article by Lord Jonathan Sacks published in the Wall Street Journal makes a compelling case that the recent London riots were predictable. (The article is available here: Reversing the Moral Decay Behind the London Riots.) Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, points to Judeo-Christian social norms that produce strong families and strong communities. As religious communities collapse, so do neighborhoods and families, and the result is what happened in Tottenham, Wolverhamption, Manchester, and Birmingham.

"The truth is, it is not their fault. They [unsocialized young people, deprived of parental care] are the victims of the tsunami of wishful thinking that washed across the West saying that you can have sex without the responsibility of marriage, children without the responsibility of parenthood, social order without the responsibility of citizenship, liberty without the responsibility of morality and self-esteem without the responsibility of work and earned achievement."

Prime Minister Cameron responded to the riots with more Police equipped with rubber bullets and water cannon. He made public announcements denouncing the violence and the perpetrators. The looters were soon contained, shop owners compensated, and calm restored. But was the underlying problem addressed? Or is it roiling under the surface, waiting to erupt again? How long will the threat of force contain the rage?

When I look at the state of affairs in America, I wonder how we can forestall similar riots that were, in hindsight, so predictable in Britain. We have increasing unemployment, a disaffected youth, distrust of elected officials, corrupt corporations, and an increasing wealth disparity leading to the perception of a lack of fairness and a lack of opportunity. Communities and families are not as strong as they were even a generation ago. Will we wait until we have to turn rubber bullets and water cannons on fellow Americans before we address these issues at home?

Lord Sacks makes the observation that in the 1800s, religious and community organizations 're-moralized' Britain and America. Elsewhere in this blog I have touted education's healing effects, but Lord Sacks points out that if you want people to get along, first get them into religious communities.

"Affiliation to a religious community is the best predictor of altruism and empathy: better than education, age, income, gender or race." 

Do you think the cause Lord Jonathan Sacks described is one that your favorite religious or community organization would take on? Government and corporate institutions have failed to maintain America's moral footing. Perhaps there is a religious or community organization that is more of a grass-roots force for social justice. We have seen grass roots reforms and even revolutions in Egypt and Libya. Is there an American institution that should step up to the plate and advocate for social justice in America? We'll have rioting in our streets soon enough, if things don't change. Maybe we can learn from Britain in time to push the riots off a little longer.

Hat tip: pdxnomad