As such, it is an area that lies largely beyond the reach of state power, which makes the role of nongovernmental institutions, particularly the church, so much more important. The statist temptation nevertheless remains strong, and for obvious reasons. America today does not seem to be a particularly virtuous place. But then, the natural human condition, certainly in Christian theology and in historical experience, too, is not one of virtue. This explains the necessity of a transcendent plan of redemption.
Societies can be more or less virtuous.
Blaming moral shifts on legal changes mistakes correlation for causation. In fact, America's one-time cultural consensus eroded during an era of strict laws against homosexuality, pornography, and even fornication. Only the end of this consensus led to changes in the law. In short, as more people viewed sexual mores as a matter of taste rather than a question of right and wrong, the moral underpinnings of the laws collapsed, followed by the laws. Government has shown that it is not a particularly good teacher of virtue.