God and Liberty - Part I

Part I – The Origin of Liberty

The United States became a nation through a grand self-declaration of independence on July 4, 1776.  The American colonialists-turned-revolutionaries fought a valiant and victorious battle against Great Britain to back up the audacious claim made in their Declaration of Independence.  In 1788 the Constitution of the United States was ratified.  A new nation was born that would stand as the bastion of liberty for centuries to come because of its religious influence.

Ironically, many citizens of this very same nation today writhe at the suggestion that religion is, or could be, responsible for the political innovation of the United States.  Moreover, these same individuals consistently seek legal injunctions against those who make even a faint religious overture in connection with anything vaguely resembling a government institution.  They do so presumably because their atheistic sensibilities feel threatened.  More likely, it is their vile contempt for opposing views compounded by their inability to make coherent arguments against Christian apologists that has caused them to resort to their own religious censorship as a last resort.  The irony is the liberty they claim to defend through religious persecution could not exist without the religion they are persecuting – the Judeo-Christian religion, specifically. 

Perhaps my claim strikes you as bold, unfounded, or – if you’re a member of the ACLU’s Facebook fan page – blatantly uninformed.  However, my proof would be insultingly obvious to any self-respecting American were it not swept under the rug of revisionist history and political correctness.  I suspect there are very few American citizens that have read the Declaration of Independence, but this is my starting point; it’s no coincidence as this is also the starting point of our great nation.

Although the entire document is well worth a read, the most relevant sentence is from the second paragraph: “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.”

At the time of its writing, the truths mentioned were self-evident as well known logical outcomes based upon the prevailing political and moral philosophy of the time.  The concept of unalienable rights can be traced back to John Locke (although there is some dispute among historians, the National Archive still lists John Locke as one of the primary influences).  He ascertained that there are certain rights based on natural law which are unalienable – meaning they could not be taken away.  He further reasoned that these natural laws must be granted by our Creator, God, for the purpose of fulfilling His will in our lives.


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