AMES, Iowa - Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum came to Iowa this weekend to tell voters here why he believes conservatives are "losing" the culture wars to liberals in America.

"We're losing this debate not because of politics," Santorum explained. "Politicians didn't change the culture - the popular culture changed America."

On the final day of a three-day trip to the state that gave him a belated victory in the presidential caucuses in 2012, Santorum said that the future of the Republican Party depends, in part, on whether conservatives choose to support the creation of content - on television, in movies and on smart phones - that reflect wholesome, family-focused messages.

"Who's raising your children?" Santorum asked the audience at a gathering of conservatives on Saturday. "Who's creating the moral imagination for the future of our country?"

The former Pennsylvania senator has been warning Iowans this week that the "culture shapers" in Hollywood are "out there telling lies." And he asserted that younger Americans were increasingly spending more time on their smart phones than going to church or with family.

"It's no wonder young people overwhelmingly are supporting the other side," he said, "because they don't know the truth."

Santorum's message at a day-long event organized by the Family Leader, a Christian conservative group, dovetails with his business interests. In June he announced a new position as CEO of EchoLight Studios, a faith-based movie studio based in Texas.

On Thursday Santorum delivered much the same message to a county Republican Party dinner in the far northwest corner of Iowa.

"You let things come into your house through television that you would never let walk through your front door," he told a crowd of several hundred in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Santorum's visit to Iowa has been fueling speculation about whether he will run for president again in 2016 - a decision he told reporters he would not announce until after the 2014 mid-term elections. But recently, Santorum has been maintaining an almost campaign-like travel schedule, visiting cities and towns around the country, promoting his faith-and-family movie business.

The once and possibly future White House hopeful said conservatives have their work cut out for them.

"This country continues to go in their direction," he said of liberals. "Why? Because they work harder at it."