Is morality just a matter of opinion? Is there an actual absolute standard of right and wrong? Is a new moral code developing in America today based on contemporary cultural assumptions?

Those are among the most important questions Americans can ask themselves — much more important than, for instance, who should be the next president of the United States.

A month ago, The Barna Group released the findings of research that clearly shows Americans are redefining "what it means to do the right thing in their own lives."

The pollsters asked adults whether in the previous week they had viewed pornography, used profanity in public, gambled, gossiped, engaged in sexual intercourse with someone to whom they were not married, retaliated against someone, got drunk or lied. The majority of the respondents acknowledged engaging in at least one of those eight behaviors. Specifically, 28 percent admitted to using profanity in public; 20 percent admitted to gambling, including the purchase of a lottery ticket; 19 percent admitted to intentional exposure to pornographic images; 12 percent admitted to getting drunk; 11 percent admitted they'd lied; 9 percent said they had sexual intercourse with someone to whom they were not married; and 8 percent said they had retaliated against someone.

While only 1 percent of married adults acknowledged having sex with someone other than their spouses, 21 percent of single adults said they had sex with someone in the previous week. In fact, reported The Barna Group, those younger than 25 were more than twice as likely to engage in these activities.

"Their choices made even the Baby Boomers — never regarded as a paragon of traditional morality — look like moral pillars in comparison," the study concluded.

Among the people younger than 25, 64 percent admitted to using profanity in public; 38 percent engaged in sex outside marriage; 37 percent lied; 26 percent gossiped; 33 percent used pornography; and 12 percent engaged in acts of retaliation.

Self-described liberals were five times more likely than those who described themselves as conservatives to participate in unmarried sex; more than three times as likely to view pornography; more than twice as likely to lie and to get drunk; and twice as likely to engage in retaliation and gossip, according to the study.

George Barna, who directed the study and who has been surveying national trends and morality for more than 25 years, said the results were significant: "We are witnessing the development and acceptance of a new moral code in America. Mosaics (those younger than 25) have had little exposure to traditional moral teaching and limited accountability for such behavior. The moral code began to disintegrate when the generation before them — the Baby Busters — pushed the limits that had been challenged by their parents — the Baby Boomers. The result is that without much fanfare or visible leadership, the U.S. has created a moral system based on convenience, feelings, and selfishness."

It may be an understatement, but this trend does not bode well for America's future.

There once was a widely accepted moral code in America. It was the Bible. That doesn't mean people didn't violate that code. They always did. But not with the ease and regularity we are witnessing today — especially with those who have little or no grounding in the Scriptures.

Barna has more sobering words about what his findings portend for the future: "The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances. It is not likely that America will return to a more traditional moral code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices."

Are you feeling the pain yet? Is it time to take another look at what we believe and how we act? Are you ready to reconsider the value of the moral code handed down on Mount Sinai?

Joseph Farah's newest book, "None of the Above: Why 2008 Is the Year To Cast the Ultimate Protest Vote," is available now. To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.