There is no doubt that America has become more divided, less cohesive, and a lot less civil over the last few decades.

It’s a phenomenon that commentators on both sides of the political spectrum have noticed and reflected on for years.

Conservatives often point to the proliferation of liberal indoctrination in academia or an increasingly ideological and activist news media. Those on the left, meanwhile, are apt to lay the blame on President Trump, the personification of all of their fears and anxieties.

A new poll from The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, however, paints a picture at odds with theories and in many ways, it's more disturbing than either of these narratives. The poll, which replicates a survey from 1998, shows a drastic drop in the number of Americans who place a high value on patriotism, belief in God, and having children.

More striking even than the overall decline is the generational divide. Those younger than 38 years old — millennials and the "zoomers” of Generation Z — are less than half as likely to rate religion as a "very important” value than Americans over 55. Among the younger generations, fewer than half think patriotism is very important, and fewer than one-third consider having a family of their own to be an important priority.

If these figures are accurate — and the precipitous drop in church attendance suggests they are — how can we be surprised at the growing division in our public life? How can we be shocked at the collapse of civility and the spread of hatred?

The loss of God-consciousness must correlate directly to this sad and intensifying state of affairs. A culture that doesn’t see God as real can easily devalue life, become deadened to any thoughtful feeling towards others, and feel no sense of responsibility or accountability for individual actions.

When a prime time "comedy” host announces that he’s "glad” a political adversary is dead, that he hopes his death was "painful,” and is cheered on by his studio audience no less, I fear that sentiment is not an anomaly, but a reflection of the kind of culture that America is becoming. When I see so many Americans, especially the young, cite that vile sentiment with approval, I fear that the worst implications of the WSJ/NBC News poll are already upon us.

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