It is a great privilege to be the citizen of the U.S. and be part of this amazing nation. 4th of July commemorates the independence of this nation as a separate entity from British Empire. This nation was formed by brave people who had a vision to migrate to this nation and gain the opportunity to worship their God freely apart from systematic and governmental regulation of what they left behind. In addition, the Bill of Rights gave every American Constitutional protection from unnecessary governmental intrusion. This allows every American to be free from within and without.
When we read the historical documents of individuals such as George Washington, our first president, and Alexis de Tocqueville, a French historian, one gains a better understanding of the genius of American government. Christianity was the foundation of this amazing system.
George Washington in his Farewell Address, admonished people to not call themselves patriots if they are not willing to uphold religion and morality as the firm props for their government. Washington cautioned people to avoid thinking that morality can be upheld without religion. At the time, the religion would have been Christianity which was comprised of various sects. He understood that Christianity is the foundation to our Constitutional and democratic system and it cannot survive without it.
Alexis de Tocqueville, came for an assignment to examine the prison systems in the U.S. in 1831. During that time, he began to take notice of the amazing governmental system that the Americans enjoyed. His book Democracy in America is a description of his observations and his analysis of what he found. He was intrigued by the unity in the U.S. under the umbrella of Christianity while people still enjoyed their own sects. All Americans were united because they followed the Bible as the basis for morality. He also found that religion did not impose itself in public square out of tradition. On the contrary, the faith that he detected was a living and breathing entity that fueled Americans’ souls. He understood that freedom in this nation was possible because people had a restraint on their behavior and were submitted to God rather than man.
While de Tocqueville astutely observed the inseparability of religion and politics in American government in 19th century, in our current culture, we seem to question it greatly. In the last few decades, in the name of “separation of church and state”, Christianity has lost much ground in political arena. When the Founding Fathers penned the First Amendment, they never meant for the church to stay out of the business of government, but for government to stay out of the business of regulating Christianity.
Some will argue why can’t we just legislate good moral laws without talking about religion? The reality is that morality is not a stand alone unit, but it is established on a set of beliefs. Our beliefs and worldview will shape our morality. If I am a Christian, I will derive my morality from what God states in the Bible. However, if I am not a Christian then my morality is either based on other set of beliefs, or it is based on my subjective evaluation of what is in my best interest at the moment.
What are the basic principles that make this nation great and where did they come from? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
