America is in a state of decline

My argument’s layout will be a rebuttal against my opponent’s case as he has the burden of proof. The crux of my opponent’s case can be reduced to a sentence from his speech: “[America] is dying because the European and Christian core has been shrinking away.” The society’s shift toward liberal stances, according to my opponent, constitutes a decline in American society. However, my opponent doesn’t really have a warrant as to why shifting to liberal stances constitutes any particular decline in American society. He touches on points like gay rights and abortion as evidence that society is declining, yet these points in themselves are debates by their own right as to whether or not they’re beneficial. Henceforth, rather than having an empirical debate objectively and irrevocably proving the decline of American society, my opponent appeals to his own personal socially conservative pathos in order to make his arguments—all of them quite moving in their rhetoric, but none of them ultimately providing much in the way of substance or conclusions. Basically, my opponent has proven that society has changed rather than that society has changed for the worse. My opponent explains that the decline in religious faith in America is an example of societal decline, but he doesn’t provide any warrants as to why that is. Furthermore, his statement isn’t entirely correct either considering that 77% of Americans identify as Christian. [1] My opponent also argues that America is fragmented along racial and ethnic boundaries. This is unfortunately true. However, first and foremost, this is not a new problem in America. Racial and ethnic boundaries have existed in the United States ever since its inception. So, if America really is fragmented today, it’s a condition similar to how America has always been. If anything, this fragmentation has diluted by some degree in comparison to how things were like before, especially with Jim Crow laws being overturned and more African Americans and members of other ethnicities entering into better professions and acquiring education. So, if America is fragmented, it’s at least not as bad as it used to be. However, my opponent’s apparent solution to overcoming this fragmentation is for people of different racial and ethnic distinctions to eschew their cultural roots in favor of some superseding American culture—one which, by the way, is cosmopolitan due to the different ethnic groups that migrated here. For example, American blues as a musical movement had many roots in musical styles co-opted from Africa. My opponent doesn’t consider the alternate solution of trying to make social movements in order to have Americans learn about the different cultures in this country, therefore increasing knowledge about the globe and creating friends of different nationalities, thereby reducing the fragmentation. My opponent seems to ascribe little value to the cultures other than the “European” and suggests superseding them with the European. To think that this is the only solution is not only wrong, but also borderline racist because it implies that European culture is more important or relevant than others. He also doesn't explain why this European culture he argues for is something that requires preservation. Then, there’s my opponent’s argument about how our society has become hedonistic, substantiated with no evidence to prove this condition nor evidence to prove this condition is any different in previous time periods (especially considering the time period of the 1920s). This leaves, then, his arguments about gay rights and abortion, 2 things which he also doesn’t explain why they’re bad. He talks about how abortion is murder of human beings, but this is a debate in and of itself—one without an objective conclusion. Therefore, you can count his arguments on abortion pathos rather than anything substantial. The speech was long and convoluted in a sense, so there may have been points I might have missed. I will provide this response and then address any points I’ve missed in the subsequent rounds. [1] http://www.gallup.com...