Western civilization has also been called Christian civilization because it has been Christianity that has served as the binding force for its rules of conduct and law. Society's actions, both individually and collectively, were confirmed, ratified, or rejected based upon Christian principles of right and wrong. The Republic that emerged here in 1776 was certainly the product of that civilization, yet history teaches us that civilizations, even extremely powerful ones, are nonetheless vulnerable, over time, to corruption, decay, and eventual collapse. A natural question should arise from what follows as to our own susceptibility to the pattern of these historical cycles. Our general dependency on government to solve all of the myriad problems that beset our society today leads us to wonder when the chains of bondage will begin to register on our collective consciousness.
Nihilism is the general rejection of customary beliefs in morality or religion.
It includes the belief that there is no meaning or purpose in existence and that there is no basis for absolute truth or knowledge. This obvious rejection of Christianity, and thus of Western Civilization, has many adherents today. In the realm of politics these people promise to completely destroy our long existing social, political, economic, and cultural institutions. They seek to supplant these institutions through the power of coercion and the heavy hand of government. Our present complacency and apathy, coupled with our dependency and foolish trust in government, come some declared national emergency, may very well close the chapter on what remains of Western Civilization and Christendom.