Is our freedom dependent upon religion?
Our Declaration of Independence states that “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.”
The land upon which we live was settled primarily by people willing to make tremendous personal sacrifices for the freedom to live and worship as they desired. To guarantee these “unalienable rights” (freedom of choice and action), the colonists insisted that the US Constitution as originally proposed be amended to include 10 declarations of rights or freedoms that were not to be infringed by government. America was known throughout the world as the “Land of the Free.”
Of these God given rights, the freedom to worship in thought, speech, and action in accordance with one’s beliefs was paramount. The colonists and founders of our nation were a people who reverenced God and established the laws of the land in accordance with God’s law of morality. God’s law was engraved into the stone architecture and monuments of our government and educational buildings, taught in homes and schools, and guided the public discourse. We owe a great debt to the pioneers and founders of The United States of America, men who established a form of government that would preserve our freedom.
But it was conditional. They said that this form of government would only work for a moral people. Sadly, from the very establishment of our country, evil and designing men have worked to subvert our freedoms and corrupt our morality. Over the last half dozen decades, religion and morality have been under ever increasing levels of attack.
So where are we today? God has been banned from the public square, from our work environment and schools, and is absent from too many homes. Far too many have abandoned religion in favor of secular philosophies. For a large segment of our population with no respect for God nor fear of judgment, morals are now relative to one’s own views on life.
As religious faith and commitment has waned, attacks on our liberty and personal freedom have escalated. Is this surprising to anyone? This includes government mandates of all kinds as well as mass violence against adults and children. Is it any wonder that those who do not believe in a God also do not believe that freedom is an inalienable (God given) right? Is it any wonder that those who reject God feel little concern over abridging our freedom or even killing others? Is it any wonder that those who do not believe in God’s judgment have no concern for their evil acts?
As we struggle with the growing social ills of our day and its manifestation in the abridgement of our freedoms and safety, let’s recognize that this has significantly increased in proportion to the degradation in our faith in God and our willingness to teach and live His law of morality. If we want to reverse this course and restore America as a Land of Freedom, there is only one solution, and that is to put God and his code of moral law back into our homes, schools, community, and culture. Let each of us stand up and let our voices be heard. In God we Trust, not in the arm of flesh.
