'Growing Pains' Actor Kirk Cameron Warns America is 'Nearing Point of No Return' as Country Rejects God

Sep 06, 2017 12:30 PM EDT

Former "Growing Pains" actor Kirk Cameron has warned America that it is nearing "the point of no return" as the country continues to reject God's laws, and called for revival before it's too late.

"People think we are in the last days of America," Cameron said during ant interview with the Topeka Capital-Journal. "Is it too late? No, it's not too late. It's not impossible to turn it around, but there's no time to wait any longer. We are nearing the point of no return, but we're not there yet. But we must lean in, double down and engage ASAP because we've been coasting for too long."

Cameron, who has been married to his wife, actress Chelsea Noble Cameron, whom he met on the "Growing Pains" set, for 26 years, told the outlet that while the country is divided on a number of issues, people across all religions and ethnic groups understand the importance of a strong family unit.

"Nobody wants to fail at family," he said. "It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu, an atheist or if you're black or white. Nobody wants to fail at family."

In a later interview with The Gospel Herald, the father-of-six warned that the country will experience "financial and moral decline" if it continues to move away from the principles it was founded upon.

"You can't help but hear Martin Luther King's voice in your head: That our country becomes a place where we would judge people by their character and not the color of their skin," he said when asked about his hope for America. "And, I would add that faith in God and a dependence upon the goodness of God would also be at the center of that."

Thankfully, Cameron said he believes the country's future is bright - but to succeed, it must return to its founding principles.

"Abraham Lincoln said -- and I'm paraphrasing -- we've become so strong and prosperous and admired by so many, but our problem is that we've forgotten what made us this way," Cameron said. "We've forgotten that this comes as a gift from God because of our reliance on him and our willingness to follow his ways. We need to get back to that."

The actor added, "America is full of hope if we understand those vital truths. All of the founders understood...the golden triangle of freedom. Freedom requires virtue, and virtue requires genuine faith. That faith has to be free, not forced or coerced. And that, of course, requires virtue."

In 2014, Cameron's sister, Christian actress Candace Cameron Bure, shared her Bible-centered thoughts on marriage in her book Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose. At the time, she came under fire after revealing that she prefers to take a more submissive role in her marriage to former National Hockey League player Valeri Bure.

"The definition I'm using with the word 'submissive' is the biblical definition of that," Bure, who is known for her role in the sitcom "Full House," wrote. "So, it is meekness, it is not weakness. It is strength under control, it is bridled strength. And that's what I choose to have in my marriage."

Last year, Bure clarified the role she assumes in marriage during an interview with Yahoo Parenting.

"I used the word 'submissive' [to describe my role in the marriage] because it's from the Bible but people who don't understand that see that as offensive," she said. "My husband is not a dictator. We work together but I don't want to dig my heels in and I have no aspirations to be the ruler of my family. We are two equal people but I love my husband and I want him to lead."

"With big picture issues such as where we live or what schools the kids attend, if he feels strongly about something and I think our family would benefit from it, I am going to share my thoughts," she continued. "But ultimately, I trust that my husband has our family's best interests at heart, so I wouldn't fight him on that. And when I feel strongly about something, he agrees with me. It goes both ways."

"Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.