Why has the word "liberal" become a bad word?

Well for a long time , I was a so called "liberal" until i realized what being one really meant. I realized that i could no longer call myself a liberal and be a christian at the same time. because the two dont MIX. so i made a choice. people say they dont want to return to the past. i dont get that, because life was, "better" in the past. the quality of life, the morals this nation once stood for were better. A time when divorce was almost unheard of, and life was slower and simpler. when the crime rate was not an everyday thing, and abortion was not an option. this nation is "way too OPEN, and people just want to do their own thing, and anything goes. that is what is wrong with our nation now. TOO MUCH LIBERAL thinking and look at the mess we have because of it?