During a speech at Notre Dame’s law school this Friday, the Attorney General of the United States disparaged around 23 percent of the US population and said that secular people are fueling societal ills like violence and drug abuse.
In his speech, William Barr directly linked rising secularism in society to the “doctrine of moral relativism.”
“Basically every measure of this social pathology continues to gain ground,” Barr said, adding that problems in society are the result of “moral upheaval.”
“Along with the wreckage of the family, we are seeing record levels of depression and mental illness, dispirited young people, soaring suicide rates, increasing numbers of angry and alienated young males, an increase in senseless violence and a deadly drug epidemic,” he continued.
Attorney General Bill Barr: "Among the militant secularism are many of the so-called progressives, but where is the progress? We are told we are living in a post-Christian era, but what has replaced the Judeo-Christian moral system?" pic.twitter.com/jc7kkDKGqc
— The Hill (@thehill) October 12, 2019
“Over 70,000 people die a year from drug overdoses, but I won’t dwell on the bitter results of the new secular age.”
He also made a point to mention that many “so-called progressives” are also “militant secularists.”
Barr’s words echo some of President Trump’s far-right evangelical supporters, who often characterize atheists and others who don’t identify as Christian as the reason behind the alleged “moral decay” in the US.
According to Scientific American, the growing shift away from the dominance of any one religion “is good for a secular society whose government is structured to discourage catch basins of power from building up and spilling over into people’s private lives.”
Featured image via screen grab
