As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ this Sunday it’s a good time to dispel a common myth offered by secular regressives. Simply put, they maintain: The United States is not a nation based in faith in God.
(Please note I refuse to call the ‘Left’ progressive. There’s nothing progressive about their agenda – except for the growth of government.)
Secular regressivism is a human-centered worldview. What is right or wrong, good or bad public policy depends on the individual’s own value system. Empirical evidence and history are discounted, or even ignored in favor of an individual’s ‘opinion’ of the prudence of a policy issue. The question, “How does this affect me?” is only asked in a transactional sense. The focus is short-term in evaluating how a certain policy comports with the individual’s worldview. The long-term implications are often ignored.
It is fair to point out that our Founding Principles are based on individual liberty. Our Constitution was drafted to protect individual rights and to prevent the government from violating those rights. And on the surface, it does make sense to evaluate each public policy on the basis of the effect on the individual. The fallacy in this thinking is that it ignores the Founding Principles, and the very source of our individual rights. You’ll find these familiar:
“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. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such forms, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence begins with the premise there is a fixed moral standard of right and wrong. This is in direct opposition to secularism. There are certain areas where it does not matter if you think they are right or wrong as an individual. Why? Because they are given to each individual by The Creator. In other words, God. God is placed superior to man. Man cannot justly violate what is provided by God. So, what are some of the individual rights that come from God?
- The right to life – This is the right to freely exist and not to have your life taken by the State without the due process of Law (again, based upon the self-evident, fixed moral standard of right and wrong.)
- Liberty – The right to develop and use the unique talents and abilities the Creator has given you.
- The Pursuit of Happiness – The right to enjoy and benefit from the fruits of your labor in exercising your Liberty.
The Declaration of Independence next states that the purpose of government is to protect these God-given rights and not to violate them. Furthermore, the only just authority government has is that which complies with God’s law, and what its citizens specifically delegate to it.
The Constitution codifies the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence into a legal framework for government. The purpose of the Constitution is to create a structure that is least likely to give the federal government the ability to violate our individual, God-given rights. This creates a social compact between We The People and our government. Specific responsibilities fall to the federal government. It is the duty of self-governing citizens not only to keep the federal government within its constitutional limits but to ensure their state and local governments attend to the many and various responsibilities that fall outside of the enumerated powers of the federal government.
This social compact acknowledges that a moral societal structure is necessary for our republic to survive. The goal is for maximum individual liberty to exist within the context of a civil society based upon specific principles. And these are in order:
- There is a fixed, moral standard of right and wrong
- The natural state of man is to be free
- That individual rights are given by God and no man can morally violate them
- The purpose of government is to protect these God-given rights
- The just authority of government is only what its citizens delegate to it
- When government fails to protect these individual rights, it is the duty of its citizens to correct it.
As you can see, these principles are diametrically opposed to the secular regressive worldview. Theirs has no fixed, moral standard. Whatever you deem to be “moral” at the time is okay. It’s clear the chaos that results from this worldview. It’s impossible for a civil society to exist when there are 330 million differing opinions of what is right or wrong. Without agreed upon fundamentals, understandings and customs undergirding a culture, a country cannot survive. This is the battle we are engaged in.
I do not blame the secular regressive movement for trying to remove God from society to advance their agenda. God is the only undefeated entity in world history. Society after society, country after country have attempted to replace God with themselves. All have failed. The Framers understood this and intentionally rooted our country in faith-based principles. Every country is a theocracy. It only depends upon whether God or the government is the entity being worshiped.
We should all take time to reflect upon the many blessings we have. It is a privilege to be an American citizen where we enjoy greater freedom, opportunity and prosperity than any country past or present. This is a privilege we should jealously protect and defend. Not jealousy work to hoard it for ourselves, but to protect it for our fellow citizens and be a beacon of freedom and justice for our world.
“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:10-14
God bless, Merry Christmas and In Liberty,
Brett
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