Should We Return to Church as It Used to Be?

By Putt

For decades, from the USA's beginnings as a nation to shortly after WWII, churches played key roles in the lives of most citizens. Most attended church every Sunday, and many were in their church much more often. But with the advent of TV and other user-friendly alternatives, the churches began to fade. Consequently, in 2025 they no longer play key roles in our public discussions of key issues.

We may need to return to "the way it was." For there's a great deal of evidence suggesting that the USA has lost its moral compass and in need of an across-the-board return to its roots.

At a very minimum, it says here, we do have a great need to rediscover our moral compass, as the continuation of large killings and group-conflicts tell us so alarmingly well.

Would a return to church-centrality help? Maybe, at least in a basic sense; the churches supported values and integrity in our national lives. Most obviously, they could still provide USA citizens with something to do on their weekends along with a place to acquire and build moral commitments on a regular basis.

But the churches of old provided us with something much more, and it is that "something" which is well worth our reclaiming.

The churches of old gave to its participants a keen sense of their own personal value. In other words, the churches gave people belief in themselves and in partiular, belief in their self-worth.

By contrast, killers who go on mass-killing rampages have obviously lost any sense of appreciation for their very lives. Life is no longer meaningful for them, so they decide to end it and take other "equally meaningless" lives with them.

How do we replace what was a key to our successful living? That is the question, which, asked another way is: How do we instill in individuals a strong sense of the value of their own lives?

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Let us suggest two ways: #1 Would be for our schools to make "building self-worth" the key purpose in their curriculums, in fact, the key purpose for their very existence.

Without believing in your own self, one has no reason to live, and every reason to die and cause the death of others.

Secondly, our churches must reassert "personal value" as the key to their message. God loves you. We love you. You are worth loving! Such teachings, churches of today can do, if they but will.