By Guest Column Lynn M Stuter——Bio and Archives--January 25, 2010
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…" — Declaration of Independence; In Congress; July 4, 1776Thus the quote attributed to James Madison,
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."This quote from John Adams makes things even clearer,
"Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people; it is wholly inadequate for any other."In other words, in order for America to be free, and Americans to enjoy freedom under a limited form of government, they must choose to govern themselves, control themselves, sustain themselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. Edmund Burke made the reasoning of the Founding Fathers abundantly clear when he wrote (sic),
"Freedom without virtue is not freedom but license to pursue whatever passions prevail in the intemperate mind; man's right to freedom being in exact proportion to his willingness to put chains upon his own appetites; the less restraint from within, the more must be imposed from without."In other words, if man does not govern himself according to the Ten Commandments of God, because of man's sin nature, what he imposes upon society will require laws to be written. (Note: used in this context, "man" refers not to gender but to humanoids in general.) But, you say, this creates a situation, as in England, where the religion of the people is imposed by the state. No, not so. Our Founding Fathers knew that the only way this nation could remain a limited form of government is if the people, themselves, choose to live by the Ten Commandments of God. Thus the very first amendment to the United States Constitution: "Freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Those who would disparage Christianity claim that Christianity has no place in the halls of government. This is also not true. The Founding Fathers were very aware of the oppression imposed by the Church of England. They understood that to be free, people must choose, of their own free will, to live their lives according to the Ten Commandments of God, whether in their private lives or while serving the people in the halls of government. The government was established to be non-religious; not the people serving in the government. Our Founding Fathers never envisioned a government of politicians; they envisioned a government of statesman, principled men who came together to administer a limited form of government, allowing the people the greatest amount of freedom to pursue their lives according to the Ten Commandments of God. A government of the people, by the people, for the people. The only one like it in the world, often called the greatest experiment in the world. The reason so many have left their countries of birth to seek opportunity in America. Why is America where it is today? First of all, how many children in the public schools are taught the reality of the founding of our nation? I can answer that with one word: none. And that situation has been so for more than 50 years. If a nation knows not from whence it came; it will not know to where it is going and Americans today, by and large, have no clue the founding principles of this nation. What we are fighting today is truly a spiritual battle. John Adams' prophetic words, that our constitution was wholly inadequate for an unprincipled and immoral people, is upon us. The signs are everywhere …
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Items of notes and interest from the web.