The concept of absolute moral truth in our society has been replaced with relativism, which is the idea that the determination of good and evil is based upon circumstances. What was considered shameful decades ago regarding marriage and the family is not shameful today. In fact shame is a concept children are not exposed to today.
So I enter a debate with a new age liberal arts college grad about the cause of crime in our cities thinking it should be fairly easy to persuade him the cause is fatherless homes. I think I have common ground with him on the belief that a traditional family unit is a good thing.
I immediately realize the reason he insists on other reasons for the high crime like poverty and racism and so forth is that he rejects the traditional family unit as a good thing. So I have to take a step backward and try to convince him that the traditional family IS a good thing and I am immediately aware the debate has entered the realm of metaphysics because my position has its primary support in the existence of a personal moral God to whom we are accountable. He says nope...there is no God.
That's it right there. Why bother arguing about the high crime rate among city dwelling young males if we can't agree about the nature of reality. If there is no God anything goes so high crime in the city is nothing more than an expression of the natural unrestrained predatory instinct.