The election on 6 November 2012 confirmed a change in the United States that has been taking place for over fifty years as a result of the progressive movement, i.e., post-modern thought.

This change is because our political elite--of both parties--have for more many years seen public affairs--both foreign and domestic--as only a matter of Secular Authority, and have ignored the need to have Sacred Authority and Secular Authority check and balance each other. 

Most people have never heard of Sacred Authority; for them authority is something those in a hierarchy use to control others. That is Secular Authority, which is often called the rule of law.

What then is Sacred Authority? For most people 'sacred' means: "devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose". However, with regard to authority, 'sacred' means: "regarded with reverence, a sense of right, or that which must not be violated or disregarded." For example, sacred oath.

All cultures have made a distinction between Secular Authority and Sacred Authority. 

However, many different names have been used, e.g. temporal and spiritual, laws and beliefs, rules and customs, state and church, science and religion. The terms used by the ancient Greeks, secular and sacred, are the most accurate. 

Secular Authority is specified in rules, regulations and laws. Sacred Authority shapes the inner compass of  individuals through beliefs , customs, traditions, and civic virtues.

Since the 1960's progressives have claimed that personal behavior is a matter of choice. They have rejected the idea that certain values, attitudes and beliefs define an American. For them right or wrong, good or bad, virtue or sin is to be determined by a personal narrative - by personal feelings and emotions.

For them the separation of church and state means there can be no code of conduct for Americans; they do not recognize civic virtues; they do not accept traditional patriotism. How many of  those  living in the United States are progressives, and how many believe in the  principles and ideals upon which America was founded? The election suggests there are more progressives than Americans.

The outcomes of going down the road our political elite has taken our country has been: 

• The centralization of power, 
• An increase in the size and presence of government (including bureaucracy, rules, regulations, and laws), 
• A decline in checks and balances (i.e. Stability through Equilibrium), 
• A decrease in civic virtues, shared morality, and traditional patriotism,  
• The decline and decay of the principles and ideals of our Founders, 
• The loss of freedom, and 
• The corruption of the rights specified in the First Amendment. 

But then, how can this change be reversed. The election is evidence that it is going to be very difficult and it foretells many troubled years ahead.