As God Watches: Belief Without Authority

Title: As God Watches Subtitle: Belief Without Authority Subject Classification: Religion and Faith, Society and Culture, Sociology BIC Classification: HR, JF BISAC Classification: Binding: Hardback, eBook Planned publication date: Nov 2026 ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-83711-880-9 ISBN (eBook): 978-1-83711-881-6 e-books available for libraries from Proquest and EBSCO with non-institutional availability from GooglePlay For larger orders, or orders where you require an invoice, contact us admin@ethicspress.com Description This book introduces the concept of Functional Fatality, a condition in which belief in the sacred persists while its authority to regulate behaviours, unify society, and ground moral order has structurally collapsed. Challenging Francis Fukuyama’s claim that Western liberal democracy represents the endpoint of ideological evolution, the book argues instead that American liberal capitalist democracy is vulnerable to decline due to internal moral, cultural, and economic contradictions. Drawing historical parallels to the collapse of past civilizations, it suggests that without a realignment with its sacred foundations, modern American society risks fragmentation, crisis, and eventual decay. The book identifies a central paradox of modernity: although the United States remains one of the most religious societies in the world, God’s authority has been displaced from public life. This condition is not explained by secularization alone but emerges from a complex interaction of modern philosophy, pluralism, democratic governance, and market logic. The sacred has been transformed into a consumable good within a religious marketplace, where individuals select beliefs based on preference rather than obligation. As a result, belief survives while binding moral authority erodes. The book concludes by outlining the social consequences of Functional Fatality, including moral relativism, declining social trust, political polarization, rising extremism, and nihilism. It establishes the theoretical foundation for the book’s broader argument: that modern societies have not abolished belief in God, but have rendered the sacred functionally irrelevant—an outcome with profound implications for moral order, civic stability, and the future of democratic civilization. Biography Author(s): Dr. Christopher Young was previously an associate professor at Rutgers University, USA. Dr. Michael Damion Tucker is a scholar at North Carolina Central University, USA. Reviews This title is currently being reviewed. Please check back for further updates in due course.