Most Americans – at least the older ones –thank their lucky stars that their first ancestor came to America.

Mine was a Scottish shoemaker.

Those ancestors faced challenges and difficulties unknown to their descendants but they mostly survived and succeeded and left their families with freedom previously unknown in the world they left behind.

In America they could do pretty much as they wanted in their homes or properties without fear as long as they didn’t harm their neighbors.

They could speak their minds freely and operate their businesses, farms or ranches, making their own decisions.

They could worship God according to their own convictions and mostly did.

As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: “America is great because it is good.”

America was good because its people were mostly guided by Judeo-Christian ethics.

That ethos was deeply entrenched in the nation’s founding documents.

Judeo-Christian ethics along with a sense of patriotism (nationalism) also guided much of Western Civilization.

Dennis Prager, nationally-published columnist, wrote recently that America is now in real danger of losing its freedoms.

Obviously his concern is based on the Cancel Culture epidemic sweeping the nation, fed by elitists and their social and news media mouthpieces.

Prager wrote:

“Americans have long been proud of the fact that, unlike European countries, America never went the route of totalitarianism as embodied in communism, fascism and Nazism.

“This achievement may be coming to an end.” He says that to understand his concerns, it is necessary to understand why Europeans embraced – or fell victim to – totalitarian regimes.

He explained:

“Until World War I, the primary beliefs that gave life meaning, both on a national and personal level, were Judeo-Christian religions and patriotism (love of one’s nation). What gave people moral guidance were Judeo-Christian values.

For most Europeans of the younger generation, World War I, with its seemingly senseless slaughter of millions, ended belief in Christianity and, in many cases, ended the people’s faith in their nations. God was deemed absent; religion was deemed unnecessary; and national identity was widely seen as a cause of the war.

“That left a void that was almost immediately filled by Communism, Fascism and Nazism.

“In Russia, World War I led directly to the Russian Revolution. Even before the war ended, in 1917, the czar was overthrown, and later that year, the Bolsheviks (the Russian communists) took over. As awful as the czar was, there was far more freedom under him than there was in the Soviet Union until the fall of communism 72 years later, not to mention the murder of more people -- 20 to 40 million -- under the Soviet regime.”

“In Italy, the rise of fascism followed World War I. And in Germany, the Nazis came to power just 15 years after the end of the Great War. Nazism conquered most of the European continent during WWII, and after Germany’s defeat in 1945, the Soviets imposed communism over all of Eastern Europe.”

Most older Americans will remember the reports that the American government was shot through with Communists and communist sympathizers, following World War II.

The term McCarthyism became the subject of much news and debate in the early 1950’s. The term was named for Sen. Joseph McCarthy who warned Americans they should be fearful of subversive communist influences.

Because of certain personal problems – alcoholism and an abrasive attitude – the Red Scare personified by McCarthyism was derided by those in positions of power and influence.

McCarthy said in 1953:

“Any man who has been named by either a senator or a committee or a congressman as dangerous to the welfare of this nation, his name should be submitted to the various intelligence units, and they should conduct a complete check upon him. It’s not too much to ask.”

McCarthy died of a liver aliment at age 47 and the turmoil died with him.

Although McCarthy was at least partially right, Communism, Fascism or Nazism failed to take root in America, probably because Americans didn’t lose their faith in Judeo-Christian religion in values.

It’s established fact that you can’t be a Christian and a Communist. Communism rejects all religion.

America remained so religious that in 1954 the words “Under God” were inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance.

That began to change later in the 1950s and the post-WWII Baby Boomers became indoctrinated in secularism and anti-Americanism.

By 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school prayer was unconstitutional.

Prager wrote:

“By the late 1960s, vast numbers of baby boomers were attending demonstrations that were as much against America – routinely characterized as an imperialist and colonialist aggressor country with an evil military – as they were against the war in Vietnam. It was not uncommon to see America spelled “Amerikkka” or “Amerika” at protests and in graffiti.”

Prager asks the question, what will happen to America if Americans lose their faith in God?

He responds:

“The way things now look, America may have its bout with some totalitarian doctrine – almost surely some form of leftism. Liberty has never been a leftwing value. From Lenin on, wherever the left has come to power, it has suppressed liberty, beginning with free speech. Already, despite a Republican president and a Republican Senate, America has less free speech than at any time in its history. Exactly one year ago, I testified before a Senate subcommittee and wrote an op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal about YouTube (owned by Google) placing more than 100 Prager University, or PragerU, videos on its restricted list.”

He also comments that the American left is more radical than the left in Europe. Why? Because Europe has been inoculated through its experiences with fanatical, irrational liberty depriving ideologies.

The Cancel Culture fanaticism evident in the current violent rampages in large cities can be compared to Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution, an attempt to rewrite America’s history.

While President Trump has been constantly vilified for his stands against a leftist take-over, he has already taken the worst shots his opponents could throw at him and his poll numbers (mostly operated by left-leaning entities) have been rising sharply – they probably don’t want to look too stupid when President Trump pulls off another “surprise” victory.

However, it will take the vote of every patriotic American for him to win. The cards are being stacked in support of his opponents. He needs to win by a large enough margin that the Left will be totally humiliated and sure of defeat if it attempts another coup – ala the failed impeachment attempt – or an endless recount of mailed votes.

Middle America will support President Trump and his stand for freedom.

If he isn’t elected, what replaced Christianity in Europe may be a painful reality for America.

You know, losing “that city shining on a hill” – the last hope for freedom in the world.