The words “freedom” and “America” are inextricably intertwined. In modern America we as a people do not want anyone to tell us what to do. We want to pursue our own paths. We want to make up our own minds as to what is right or wrong. In fact, we have a constitution our Founding Fathers put in place to protect our freedoms. Without a common set of values, however, freedom devolves into chaos.
George Washington, in his famous Farewell Address in 1796, said, “A constitution is not effective for a people who are not governed internally.”
We have a constitution that limits the powers of a central government. It created checks and balances so that no branch of government could become so strong as to usurp the authority of the other branches. The constitution created a bias for local problem solving and individual responsibility. What happens, however, when the individual no longer acts responsibly?
Our second president, John Adams, stated, “. . . only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters.”
Golden Corral of Morality
When the streets of urban America become war zones, when families become fractured and when morality becomes a trip to Golden Corral where you get to pick and choose your own set of principles to live by, we have a problem. When self-gratification becomes society’s driving force, chaos soon ensues. When the individual loses his moral compass, society loses its cohesiveness. Strong governments will emerge to fill the vacuum created by the lack of personal responsibility and they will vanquish our freedoms.
Adams further stated, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
In other words, if we cannot govern ourselves we will no longer have self-government. A more powerful government will arise which will define morality, take away freedoms we once held dearly and it will loom much larger in our lives.
We need a strong military, but ultimately it is not the military that will preserve our freedoms. If we drift toward totalitarianism that government will use the military against its citizens. Many such examples exist throughout the world.
One of the signers to the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carrol, wrote, “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion . . . reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
Church Membership falling below 70%
That said, a recent Gallup poll U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time (gallup.com) showed church membership in the US falling below 70 percent for the first time since Gallup took the poll in 1937. Poll results stood steady at around 70 from 1937 to 2000. Since that time Americans identifying with a particular faith has steadily declined to 47 percent in March of this year. The same poll showed those Americans not having any religious affiliation has grown from eight percent from 1998-2000 to 21 percent today.
People have to put their faith in something, however, even if it is a golden calf. An all-encompassing government has become America’s golden calf. If God does not exist then we as humans must create one. Some One, or some Thing that can comfort us, wipe our noses and supply our needs. We see this now with stimulus checks, monthly checks for families with children, a growing healthcare bureaucracy, and all funded by dollar bills created (just like a god) out of thin air! But be warned. A government that can give you everything you want is big enough to take away every single thing you have.