The Decade That Declared War on Faith, Family, and Morality
The 1960s were not a cultural awakening. They were a declaration of war against everything sacred. America was once a nation built on biblical values. Church attendance was high, divorce was rare, and children were raised by their own two parents, often under the same roof, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Then the 1960s came like a wrecking ball. What people thought was liberation was actually destruction.
Drug use went from criminal to cool. LSD, marijuana, and heroin werenβt just street corner habits, they became mainstream. Getting high was sold as βfreedomβ and βself-discovery.β In truth, it was spiritual enslavement. Alongside that came the push for no-fault divorce. The idea that marriage was a lifelong covenant was mocked. Adultery lost its shame. Commitment was replaced with convenience. Broken homes became the norm. Children became statistics.
At the same time, the floodgates opened on pornography. Once hidden, it was now openly published, distributed, and celebrated. The industry boomed. Men’s minds were poisoned. Marriages suffered. Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon and turned immorality into entertainment. What once would have shocked the conscience of any decent American was now called βart.β And with all of that happening, most people didnβt even realize it until it was too late. The enemy was already inside the gates.
How Welfare, Media, and Big Pharma Replaced Faith and Personal Responsibility
While the American family was being torn apart, the government stepped in, not to help, but to take over. Welfare exploded. Fathers were replaced with government checks. Responsibility was replaced with dependency. Instead of promoting strong families and work ethic, the system incentivized broken homes and generational poverty. The state offered money, but at the cost of dignity and self-reliance.
At the same time, media and pharmaceuticals finished the job. Television and movies abandoned traditional values and became the biggest bullhorn for cultural decay. Masculinity was labeled toxic. Femininity was stripped of its beauty and purpose. Marriage was a joke. Children were taught to reject their parentsβ beliefs and embrace rebellion. Hollywood didnβt just entertain, it reprogrammed.
Big Pharma stepped in and promised peace through pills. Depression? Anxiety? Trouble coping with the breakdown of your life and family? Donβt turn to God, they said, turn to us. Take another pill. Side effects may include loss of faith, numbness to sin, and complete spiritual disconnection. The nation no longer asked for revival. It asked for a prescription. And it got one.
As Latter-day Saints, we can see the pattern plainly. The Book of Mormon teaches that when people turn away from God, when they embrace pride and forget to nourish their families spiritually, destruction follows. We are living that reality today. Like the Nephites of old, we have allowed wealth, sin, and pride to blind us. And now the land groans under the weight of wickedness.
The Only Way Back Is Through the Family, Through Faith, and Through God
The solution to this is not found in Washington. It is found in the home. The Lord has declared through prophets and apostles that the family is central to His eternal plan. The 1960s targeted the family because Satan knows that when you destroy the home, you destroy a nation. The answer now must be a full restoration of righteous, Christ-centered family life.
Fathers must lead. Mothers must nurture. Children must be taught truth. Families must pray, study the scriptures, and attend the temple together. This is not optional. It is the only way to survive and the only way to push back. The Proclamation to the World is not just a declaration. It is a lifeline in a dark world. We must grab hold of it and live it fully.
We must unplug from the media that has corrupted this generation. We must reject the lies of modern culture. We must build homes where the Spirit of God can dwell. We must create a generation that knows the Book of Mormon, knows the voice of the living prophets, and knows their identity as sons and daughters of God. Our children are not for sale. Our families are not negotiable. Our faith is not up for compromise.
The 1960s broke America. But God is still on His throne. And He is calling His people, especially Latter-day Saintsβto rise, to rebuild, and to resist. Let the world continue its madness. As for us, we will raise up Zion, one home at a time.